Last week’s cooking class was led by Juile Han. She is another experienced cook and she always shares her Taiwanese recipes in the South Arm Community cooking class.

Juile showed us two dishes, A noodle dish and a snack dish. Here is the snack dish which is called Pearl Yam Balls. I remembered a similar roadside snack which we had in Malaysia that is made from yam and deep fried. I love it and I missed it since I came to Vancouver. Those we found in Malaysia is larger and had more yam in it. Nevertheless, Juile’s version is as good and I’m glad she showed us how to make it.

Since Ben is having the camera with him while he was in Atlanta last week, I had to borrow another digital camera from my good friend, Rachel. Some of the shots did not turn out right because I’m not familiar with the new camera. Anyway, I’ll try my best to illustrate the process with the photos I had.

Ingredients

• 1 1b yam
• 1 packet of glutinous rice flour (about 1 lb)
• 1/2 cup sugar (depending how sweet you want it)
• sesame seeds, peanuts and honey for topping.

Click on the following link for the instructions.

Instructions

First, remove the skins from the yam and slice them thinly.Steam the yam for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are soft. Set aside to cool.

Mash the cooled yam in a large bowl with a butter knife or fork.

Add in the glutinous rice flour and sugar.

Here is where you need to get your hand to work. Mix and knead the dough until well mixed.

The dough must not be too soft. Add more glutinous rice flour if needed. The texture of the dough must be firm enough to form into small balls for quicker frying. Heat a deep pan with vegetable oil over medium heat. Fry the yam balls until they float to the top and golden brown. Drain the yam balls on paper towel lined plate. Serve with toasted sesame seeds and peanuts and a dash of honey if preferred.