Friday, May 16, 2008

Tubesday Dinner: Name Root

For Tubesday dinner, Karl and I decided to attempt preparation of one wild card tuber. We found a strange looking one at Giant Eagle for $1.99/lb called the Name root. When we got home, we couldn't find much about it, except for this one website, which said it is also known as a yam.


To prepare it, I followed the directions from one of the recipes on the website. Really, I think you could treat this root like a potato. But do not be surprised when you slice it open. This thing is NOT like a potato when it is raw. The flesh is slimy and fibrous. It was quite a turnoff for me. The skin is also rather tough, but I managed to peel it with a regular vegetable peeler without too much difficulty. The finished product tasted in texture like a potato, but the flavors were only what seasonings I put on it. If it's possible, this is more bland than your average Idaho potato.

I probably wouldn't purchase this again unless someone convinced me rather thoroughly that they had a genius recipe for it that transformed it. It just wasn't worth the trouble, in my opinion.


Baked Name Root Slices


1 Name Root, peeled and sliced very thin (like potato chip wedges)
1 TBSP butter, melted
1 TBSP canola oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Arrange the name root slices on a baking dish in one layer.

Mix the butter, canola oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small container. Brush the mixture over the slices, using all of it.

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the slices are browning and crisp. Enjoy hot.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

it is call ñame, it is a root, they are different kinds. In latin America we use it in soups. For hangover this soup made with chiken culantro and ñame is the best! Also it can be use like mash, but this depend in the variety that is use. Also for making a soup like dish, call Gallo Pinto.

Unknown said...

In African dishes, this root is great. It is called Yam. Try Yam Porridge.
Peel and slice yam. Cut in cube, add water, salt, pepper, and boil. When soft, eat.
This root is very versatile.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know the health qualities?

Anonymous said...

Wild Yam Root and Herb
Wild Yam root and herb information and resource guide. Find out more about the benefits of the Wild Yam root and the Wild Yam herb.
www.nutrasanus.com/wild-yam.html - Options

Anonymous said...

Name is wonderful in stews with beef and fish and great as a side with any slighly oily food. We eat it with a Bacalao salad (boiled, drained salted cod or pollock-flaked in a bowl with raw onion slices, tomato slices, boiled egg slices covered in olive oil.

Name is peeled and cut into 2 or three large pieces and boiled with peeled green banana (really green not from the regular market but from a market that sells green bananas) and peeled taro root. Add some of the water from the boiling cod fish to the water in the pot with the veggies for added flavor.

Anonymous said...

Curiousity got the best of me, so bought one. Cut up into a few different sizes to prepared differently.
Results:
..Boiled, like recommended, like a potato, but a little firmer, not much basic flavor.
..Boiled then sautéed till sightly brown: closer to a potato taste, yet again firmer.
Thin sliced rinsed to clear starchiness, then dried. Still a little starchy, yet fried in Canola Oil, till slightly brown, seems to be the tastiest. Slightly sweet potato flavor, nice color, little firmer than a potato chip, strong structure. Tasted best with a little salt, and a little turmeric....
My take on the "Name"

Anonymous said...

You must be from Panama. This wonderful root is related to yams and the pronunciation is similar. It is considered one of the five staple foods of the world and is a great source of cortizone. In panamanian chicken soup (called sancocho) it's used for thickening the broth. I find its mild flavor delicious and its texture is softer but fuller than a potato (although their flavors are similar).

Anonymous said...

This is delicious boiled--it tastes like a knish and seems healthier than a potato for me as it does not raise my sugar as much. I tried it a few days ago--it was boiled for about an hour, maybe longer. I am wondering how it grows. I would like to grow some in my garden. This is the foody find of the century.

Anonymous said...

JUST PUT IT IN THE GROUND, THE PLANT IS A VINE, LIKE THE SWEET POTATOE.

John said...

I eat this regularly but never tried the recipe shared here.will try that out thanks for the share!

kimjane said...

Oh good to know. I need this for my occasional hangover

Esme said...

ñame is called ube in the philippines and is used for Jams!

Gelo said...

wow i didn't know this can be used to cure hangover! thanks for the info.

Gelo Lee said...

tried this and it works! hangover gone in 60 secs. Kidding not that fast but it does work.

Anonymous said...

Name us called water yam in Nigeria and used to make a dish peculiar to my people from ijebu, Ogun State called ikokore. It is very delicious and easy to make other than the grating of this root. I wore gloves just to avoid the itching that can occur when it touches your skin (avoid water when peeling it and u likely will be fine). Here is the recipe, truth is I didn't put most of the fish/seafood listed and it tasted just as good. However u can use smoked turkey, shredded or cut up meats or chicken. Tatashe is red bell pepper. I will avoid the Iru(locust beans) if not familiar with it as it smells nasty and will linger. We use it a lot because it's very tasty and elevates the flavor of this dish or when cooking green leafy vegetables. Palm oil is saturated fat similar to lard so thickens at room temperature. U may not have much use for it so buy a small bottle or try supplementing with veg or canola oil. My guess is they use it for color.don't be afraid to supplement with your own version of ingredients. Here is a link to a good description of how to make the dish. This dish is so versatile you can't go wrong. Best place to get the ingredients is an African or Spanish store. Again it's so simple that u can use any dumpling or gumbo type recipe. The hardest is grating the yam and even with that, this dish can cook under 30-45 min start to finish.
http://sisijemimah.com/2016/01/05/ikokore-water-yam-pottage/
You can also Google 'Ikokore Recipe" and quite a few videos will pop up on YouTube. Remember don't be afraid to substitute with ingredients you're familiar with especially the protein part of it. Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I also have diabetes and this is so great for blood glucose. Both times my BG was significantly better post meal. You may need a little less medicine on days u eat this root. Try it first to see how it affects you. My BG was 88 2hrs after the meal, I had to eat a bedtime snack which is very unusual for me (Pretty awesome).

Haiti A vie said...

Boil water, add salt. The water has to be slightly salty. Start peeling it when the water starts boiling, and do it as fast as possible. Otherwise, your name (yam) looses its white or yellow color on the outside. After u peel it, cut it in pieces (size of 5-year-old fist). Try to avoid skin contact. Can be very itchy.
Boil for 20 mins or so.
In my country, it can be part of a stew. we also eat it with meat, omelette, fish, etc
It is one of the best food especially for diabetic people.

Stop eating canned food, please.

Anonymous said...

Lol at white people..." Karl and I..". They go and make a half-assed white effort of trying to cook, but before they do pretend like they pioneered that shit. "we only found 1 entry.." quit trying to act like Christopher Columbus. Lol you're all too bland to be trying to steal food types/recipes from us. Didn't work with music (zumba), Aka corny, no seasoning having, have sex like a dead rat, no style having, uncoordinated white people dancing.

Anonymous said...

You need to get a grip. "How dare people try something new!"

Unknown said...

Carl I would love to cook one,may I have the recipes?😋