“Como se cocina?” How do I cook it?
When I find something strange at local farmers markets I usually buy it, just to figure out what to do with it. At the Bioferia organic market here in Lima there’s a stall that only sells sweet potatoes, yams and these strange gnarly root vegetables that look like over-sized parsnips. I forget the name exactly but even here they have a little pamphlet next to them explaining their nutritional properties and uses, since not even Limenans know what they are.
So I bought a few and boiled them along with these purple yams (which are not sweet potatoes) and some orange regular sweet potatoes. Then peeled the softened vegetables and mixed them with ginger, miso, lime and honey, not over mashing so that the different vegetables stayed separate and I could isolate the flavours.
The strange white-ish, parsnip-like one tasted a little bitter and a little lemony, with almost the same starchy texture as yucca, so a little stickier and smoother than sweet potatoes. The dark purple yams were like dessert on their own – so rich and sweet. They’d be perfect with red bean paste and coconut milk. They were also delicious with the miso and lime.
So you can make this recipe with whatever sweet root vegetable you want, though sweet potatoes and yams are your best bet. Don’t under-do the lime or it really will be a meal of dessert. You really need the acidity for balance. And the extra honey does bring out the flavour of the yam, so don’t skip it either, even if the yam really is sweet enough on its own. You can use white or dark miso. Check to make sure yours isn’t made with barley if you’re gluten-free. There are miso made of rice and soy blends but they often have barley, which is not gluten-free. Also avoid miso packaged with alcohol as a preservative if possible. And definitely avoid MSG. Miso should be a healthful, living food full of beneficial bacteria so adding preservatives and cooking it are two ways to get a whole lot less out of a delicious thing.
Miso-Ginger Purple Peruvian Yams, Sweet Potatoes, and Lemony Unknown Root Vegetables
2 lbs yams, sweet potatoes or other naturally sweet root vegetables, washed but peels left on
2-3 tbsp miso
2 tbsp honey
1-2 tbsp olive oil or other oil (optional), or water or plain, unsweetened thick yogurt to dilute
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2-4 tbsp lime juice (or juice of 1 lime)
Boil root vegetables whole until tender (about 10-14 minutes depending on size and type). Remove from water and when cool, peel. Slice, chop roughly or mash gently. While vegetables are cooking combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over peeled and chopped vegetables. Smile at how easy that was. Especially since you didn’t have to peel the vegetables beforehand.
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