HELP understanding a recipe, please.

[elleng]

Thinking of making this yam dish, but can't figure out how to make it.

http://www.subrosa.arbre.us/curriedyams.html

Can't figure out how many 'pans' to use, to cook it. 1. to steam cut up yams (after colander) 2. to cook cumin, and then onion + other stuff, without oil?, and can't figure out: add oil to same pan ???, add yams to that pan? and then drain yams from THAT pan, which contains cumin + onion+, or a 3d pan, to which add coconut milk and return yams + spices?

THANKS!

[Warpy]

1. You use two pans, one for steaming the yams.

You can toast whole cumin seed in a dry pan, but you might want to add some oil to prevent the onion and then the garlic from sticking. Once the onions are done, add all the spices and continue to sautee for a minute. You'll add the coconut milk to this pan, bringing it to a rolling boil.

After you drain the yams, you'll use the steaming pan with oil in it to crisp up the outsides of the yams. Then add it to the sautee/coconut milk/spice mixture, stir, and serve.

Or you could dirty another frypan and use that to crisp up the yams. Your choice.

This is how I'd do it. You're right, the instructions are clear as mud.

[elleng]

2. Thanks, Warpy; makes sense.

Almost decided (overnight) to come up with another dish, but as your explanation makes sense and isn't TOO complicated, I'm back with this one.

[Warpy]

3. Well, what I'd really do

is cube the raw yams and salt them per directions to remove some of the water, rinse and dry them, then toss them with a little oil and bake them. That would cook them and crisp them in one step.

They don't have home ovens in India, so the whole thing had to be done on a stovetop, hence juggling all the different pots and pans.

[elleng]

4. Right. After recipe says:

'Source: The recipe is derived and adapted from one in ‘The Hamlyn Curry Cookbook’, by Meera Taneja. We took a lot of liberties with this recipe.'