YAM BASKET / BUDDHA'S ALMS BOWL

     Yam Basket or BUDDHA'S ALMS BOWL(fatt putt), resembles a bowl. The first time I saw this dish I was fascinated by its appearance.  This is a common dish served in Malaysian and Singapore restaurants.  The yam rings are prepared in different ways in different regions, some use steamed yam paste, some shred the yams and then shape them into rings along with mild spices and starch.
     The Yam Basket serves as a bowl and is filled with sautéed vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, bamboo shoots and cashew nuts. As such it is a vegetarian dish, but nowadays it is catered with fillings that keep up to your whims and fancies.
     A good yam basket is absolutely a feat to perfect.  It should be crispy and fluffy at the same time.  A ring is made out of steamed yams and then they are deep fried.  Heat plays a major role in getting the perfect texture of the yam rings.  We can use a bamboo mat to hold the yam rings while frying them or use an aluminium foil with cut holes beneath.  Both serve the purpose perfectly.
Next, comes the centre fillings.  The alms bowl or yam basket should literally overflow with the fillings, which signifies prosperity as well as overflowing fortune.
     Though this is a vegetarian dish, we love to have it with Chicken and vegetable fillings. The mild flavour of the yam rings compliments with the slightly spicier stir fried fillings.  To add more texture I load it up with fried Cashew nuts and sautéed vegetables.
     Finally, serve the Yam rings on a bed of crispy fried glass noodles.  The glass noodles should be lightly deep fried so that they stay white and crispy until the dish is served.
     The New Year's Eve dinner is the most important dinner for the Chinese. Normally, this is the family reunion dinner.  They serve dishes that signifies Unity, Prosperity, Longevity, Happiness and Wealth. This is one among the long-list of dishes served during Lunar New Year.

 Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Cuisine : Chinese
Course : Side Dish
Spice Level  : Low
Difficulty : Medium
Yields : 3 Yam rings and Fillings for it.
Author : SM

Preparation Time - 25-30 Minutes
Cooking Time - 20 -30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS : 

Yam Rings :

Yam - 500 Gms.
Wheat Starch - 80 Gms
Vegetable Shortening - 2 Tbspns
Five Spice Powder - 1 Tspn
Baking Powder - 1/4 Tspn
Salt - To taste
Sugar - 1 Tbspn
Water/ Chicken Stock -  as needed.
Oil - To Deep Fry the Rings.
Glass Noodles/Bee Hoon - a Handful

For Filling :

Chicken - 250 Gms
Dried Red Chillies - 8-10 Nos.
Ginger - 1" Piece
Garlic - 3-5 Cloves
Onion - 1 No.
Bell Peppers - Few Slices
Mushrooms - 3-4 Heads
Sweet Peas - 3-4 Nos.
Cashew Nuts - 1/4 Cup
Oil - 2-3 Tbspn
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - a Pinch

For Chicken Marinade :

Light Soy Sauce - 2 Tspns
Rice Wine Vinegar - 2 Tspns
Corn Starch - 1/2 Tbspn
White Pepper - a Pinch
Salt - a Pinch

Sauce Mix :

Light Soy Sauce - 1 Tbspn
Dark Soy Sauce - 1 Tspn
Sweet Soy Sauce - 1 Tspn
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - 1 Tspn
Corn Starch - 1 Tspn
Water - 2 Tbspn 

METHOD :

Yam Rings :

• Peel the yam and cut them into chunks.
• Steam cook the yam chunks for about 15-20 minutes or until it's well cooked.
• Allow it to cool and mash it well.
• Mix Wheat Starch with  Boiling water or chicken stock, mix it thoroughly until the water is well absorbed.
• Mix mashed Yam along with wheat starch mixture, salt, shortening, sugar and the 5-spice powder into a pliable dough.
• Separate the dough into 3 equal portions.
• Roll, flatten and shape each portion into a strip using your hands.
• Adjust the thickness and length according to your personal preference.
• Connect the ends and stand the strip up.
• Place the yam rings in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• Yam rings are ready for frying.
• Heat oil in a deep pan big enough to cover the whole yam ring.
• Lower the flame to medium and carefully slide the rings into a slotted ladle and deep fry them at a perfect temperature. 
• Fry the Yam Rings until golden brown.
• Once done, remove the yam rings from the oil and drain it on a paper towel.

For Crispy Glass Noodles :

• Separate the Glass Noodles before frying them.
• Fry these Glass Noodles in the same oil used to fry Yam Rings.
• They will puff-up instantaneously.
• Glass Noodles should be white in colour even after they are fried.
• Do not over cook them or allow it to brown.  It will totally spoil the texture and colour.
• Remove them from oil and drain it on a paper towel.

For Chicken & Vegetable Filling :

• Deep fry the Cashew nuts in oil and keep them aside. Alternatively, you can roast them too.
• Clean and cut Chicken breasts into small cubes.
• Marinate the Chicken Pieces with the ingredients mentioned under ' For Chicken Marinade'.
• Leave it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• Heat Oil in a pan, let the flame be at the high.
• Stir-fry the marinated Chicken Pieces until the meat becomes white in colour.
• Sprinkle some water and cook the chicken pieces in low flame until its well cooked.
• Remove and keep it aside.
• Combine Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Sweet Soy Sauce along with a dash of Salt and Sugar.  Keep it aside.
• Heat some oil in a pan, add sliced Ginger and Garlic pieces, along with Dry Chillies.
• Stir-fry the above until aromatic.
• Toss in sliced Onions and saute until it is slightly translucent.
• Add in Bell Peppers, Mushrooms and Sweet Peas and stir fry them on low flame until they slightly wilt.
• Toss the Chicken Pieces and Roasted Cashew nuts.
• Pour in the Sauce Mix and give a quick toss, so that the sauce is well combined with the ingredients.
• Combine Corn Starch in cold water and pour it over the sauteed Chicken and Vegetables.
• It will start to thicken within few minutes. 
• Dish out and keep it aside.

To Combine and Serve :

• Spread the crispy glass noodles on a plate, forming a bed.
• Place the crispy yam ring on top of the bed right in the centre.
• Spoon in and fill the yam ring with the Chicken & Vegetable filling. 
• Serve hot with any dish of your choice.

NOTES :

• Can use Boiling water or Chicken Stock for the yam mix.
• If you feel the yam mix is sticky add some more wheat starch to it.
• Some use cooked and mashed yams, while few recipes call for grated yams.
• Roll out the yam mix on a cutting board or using your hands and cut them out into strips
• Refrigerating the yam rings makes them easy to handle.
• I usually drop them into oil placing them on a slotted spoon.
• Alternatively, you can make a basket with aluminium foil with holes beneath and use them along to fry the yam rings. 
• We should use enough Oil to totally immerse the yam rings.
• A deep pan not much wide will do the job, saving oil at the same time.
• Make sure that you should be able to remove the yam rings easily out of the pan.
• While frying the Glass Noodles, Place them on a sieve and immerse them into hot oil and immediately remove it out as soon as it fluffs-up.
• Care should be taken not to burn them.
• For the fillings, any vegetable of your choice can be added.