Yam Cake

The vegetable upon which this Cantonese classic is based inevitably causes confusion. In America it is called taro, whereas yam can refer to an orange-fleshed sweet potato. To muddy the waters still further, there is a Chinese vegetable called yam bean, but that is different again. What you want for this classic recipe is the large barrel-shaped vegetable with a hairy brown skin and purple-flecked flesh. Alternatively, you could use pumpkin.