Also Known as
Kand, Purple Yam
What is purple yam, kand, baingani yam?
Purple Yam is an earthly, healthy and delicious food. This vegetable is known for its unique and interesting texture and its beautiful color. Purple yams are tubers with grayish brown skins and purple flesh. They taste sweet and a variety of a true yam, which is known as "ube" or "ubi" in the Philippines. Purple yam is very gnarled looking in appearance and grows on a vine rather than underground. It has rough textured, dark colored skin and is shaped like other varieties of yam.
Boiled and mashed purple yam
To steam purple yam, first peel it with a knife, to remove its bark-like skin and discard it. After peeling, place the big chunks of the flesh in a steamer plate and steam in a steamer for 15 to 20 minutes or till they are steamed well and turns soft. Cool and mash using a masher or a fork.
Boiled purple yam
To prepare, a yam must be peeled with a knife, to remove its bark-like skin. After peeling, submerge the white flesh, you can either pressure cook the yam for 3 whisteles on high flame or cook in boiling water, till it is 80% cooked. Once after boiled you can either cut it into dices or cubesor can even grate it, as per recipe requirements.
Grated purple yam
Wash the whole yam with water, and dry it with a kitchen towel before cutting. Using a peeler carefully peel its bark like thick skin and discard it. Hold the thick/ thin end of the grater in one hand and the purple yam in the other hand. Now place the purple yam on the blade and push it downwards using the force of your hands to get grated strands of purple yam. You can grate it thickly or thinly as per the recipe requirement. If the purple yam is too big, you can cut it into 2 to 4 pieces before grating.
Parboiled and grated purple yam
To steam purple yam, first peel it with a knife, to remove its bark-like skin and discard it. After peeling, place the big chunks of the flesh in a steamer plate and steam in a steamer for 5 to 7 minutes or till they are partially steamed well and turns soft. Cool and grate it using a thick or thin grater as per the recipe requirement.
Peeled purple yam
To prepare, a yam must be peeled with a knife, to remove its bark-like skin. After peeling, submerge the white flesh in cold water to keep it from turning dark in color.
Purple yam cubes
Wash the whole purple yam with water, and dry it with a kitchen towel before cutting. Using a peeler carefully peel its bark like thick skin and discard it. Stand the purple yam on one end on a chopping board, and carefully slice down through the centre to cut it into 2 equal halves. Place a halve flat on the chopping board and slice it by cutting horizontally (parallel to the chopping board) into thick slices. On each slice, make vertical slits at regular intervals (1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter) using a sharp knife. Line up all the strips together and cut them horizontally at regular intervals (1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter) to get purple yam cubes. If you are not using it immediately, submerge it in cold water to keep it from turning dark in colour.
Purple yam sliced
Wash the whole purple yam with water, and dry it with a kitchen towel before cutting. Using a peeler carefully peel its bark like thick skin and discard it. Stand the purple yam on one end on a chopping board, and carefully slice down through the centre to cut it into 4 equal halves. Place a piece flat on the chopping board and slice it by cutting across the board using a sharp knife.
Purple yam strips
Wash the whole purple yam with water, and dry it with a kitchen towel before cutting. Using a peeler carefully peel its bark like thick skin and discard it. Stand the purple yam on one end on a chopping board, and carefully slice down through the centre to cut it into 2 equal halves. Place a halve flat on the chopping board and slice it by cutting horizontally (parallel to the chopping board) into thick slices. On each slice, make vertical slits at regular intervals (1/2 inch in diameter) using a sharp knife. Line up all the strips together and cut them horizontally at regular intervals (2 inches) to get purple yam strips. If you are not using it immediately, submerge it in cold water to keep it from turning dark in colour.
Steamed and grated purple yam
To steam purple yam, first peel it with a knife, to remove its bark-like skin and discard it. After peeling, place the big chunks of the flesh in a steamer plate and steam in a steamer for 15 to 20 minutes or till they are steamed well and turns soft. Cool and grate it using a thick or thin grater as per the recipe requirement.
Steamed purple yam cubes
To steam purple yam, first peel it with a knife, to remove its bark-like skin and discard it. After peeling, place the big chunks of the flesh in a steamer plate and steam in a steamer for 15 to 20 minutes or till they are steamed well and turns soft. Cool and cut them into cubes (for example, "cut into ½-inch cubes").
How to select purple yam, kand, baingani yam
Purple yams are sold fresh in supermarkets or wet markets. Choose that are firm and do not have any cracks, bruises or soft spots. Avoid those that are displayed in the refrigerated section of the produce department since cold temperature negatively alters their taste.
Culinary Uses of purple yam, kand, baingani yam
· Purple Yam Pudding Recipe
· Purple yam is used to make ube powder, which is a starchy substance added as an ingredient to sweet baked goods, cakes, ice cream, jams, and curries.
· All varieties of the purple yam are used to make both sweet and savory dishes as well as ground starchy substances used as flavorings and ingredients for other foods.
How to store purple yam, kand, baingani yam
Purple Yams should be stored in a cool, dark and well-ventilated place where they will keep fresh for up to ten days. They should be stored loose and not kept in a plastic bag. Keep them out of exposure to sunlight since this will cause them to sprout or ferment. Uncooked purple yams should not be kept in the refrigerator.
Health benefits of purple yam, kand, baingani yam
Research indicates that kand is rich antioxidant
anthocyanin, which not only lends it the purple colour, but also a horde of health benefits. Let’s read on how and how much do you benefit from this tuber.
1.
Aids in Proper Blood Circulation : The antioxidant
anthocyanin is the key element which will help fight the free radicals produced due to stress and pollution. These free radicals if not warded off, will make blood circulation difficult. Also the
potassium in it also performs its function of improving blood circulation.
2.
Possess Anti-Inflammatory Property : The inflammation and immune regulation of the body can be controlled to some extent with this
antioxidant rich vegetable.
3.
Good source of Energy : With 133 calories per cup of purple yam, it is sure to provide you enough calories to give a kick start.
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How Healthy is Purple Yam (Kand)?.
Nutritional Value of Kand, Purple Yam cubes
1 cup of purple yam cubes are about 120 g
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.
Energy - 133 calories
Protein – 1.68 g
Carbohydrate – 31.2 g
Fat – 0.1 g
Fiber – 5.04 g
Minerals:93.6 mcg of
Vitamin A = 2% Of RDA (about 4800 mcg)
21 mcg of
Folate = 21% of RDA (about 100 mcg)
1.42 mg of
Iron – 7.1% of RDA (about 20 mg for women)
42 mg of
calcium = 10.5% of RDA (about 400 mg)
40.8 mg of
Phosphorus = 6.8% of RDA (about 600 mg)
284.4 mg of
Potassium = 6.05% of RDA (about 4700 g)