Yam and Peanut Stew

1 medium white onion, cut in 1-inch dice
1 teaspoon, red Thai curry paste
2 14-ounce cans coconut milk
2 pounds yams, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch dice
1 14.5-ounce can tomatoes, large dice
2 red peppers, cut in 1-inch dice
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 16-ounce can crushed pineapple
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
Lime juice, to taste
Sugar or honey, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cilantro, to taste

Cook onions in coconut milk with curry paste until soft. Add yams and tomatoes and cook until yams are nearly done. Add peppers, ginger, pineapple and roasted peanuts and cook until peppers are done. Add remaining ingredients to taste.

Prep time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4

About Yams

The genus ‘Dioscorea’ contains the yams which are grown throughout the wetter tropics for the starchy tubers. These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated in Africa, Asia, Latin America and oceania. Yams are the main starchy food for millions of people. They are used in the same way as potatoes and sweet potatoes.
The plants are easy to cultivate and are remarkably free from diseases. They are propagated from tubers. The tubers are casily stored. The tubers mature in 8 – 10 months after planting & vary tremendously in size & colour.
Yam tubers can grow up to 2.5 meters in length and weigh up to 70 kg (150 pounds). The vegetable has a rough skin which is difficult to peel, but which softens after heating. The skins vary in color from dark brown to light pink. The majority of the vegetable is composed of a much softer substance known as the “meat”. This substance ranges in color from white to bright orange in ripe yams.
Yams are a primary agricultural commodity in West Africa and New Guinea. They were first cultivated in Africa and Asia about 8000 B.C. Yams are important to this day for survival in these regions. The tubers can be stored up to six months without refrigeration, which makes them a valuable resource for the yearly period of food scarcity at the beginning of the wet season.
The tubers contain a poisonous alkaloid, Dioscorine, but this is present in small amounts and is destroyed by boiling. They also contain steroidal sapogenins, Yams, especially of African origin, must be cooked to be safety eaten. Otherwise, substances in raw yam may cause illness.
Major varieties
Dioscorea rotundata and D. cayenensis
Dioscorea rotunda, the white yam, and Dioscorea cayenensis, the yellow yam, are native to Africa. They are the most important cultivated yams. In the past they were considered two species but most taxonomists now regard them as the same species. There are over 200 cultivated varieties between them.
They are large plants; the vines can be as long as 10 to 12 meters (35 to 40 feet). The tubers most often weigh about 2.5 to 5 kg (6 to 12 lbs) each but can weigh as much as 25 kg (60 lbs). After 7 to 12 months growth the tubers are harvested. In Africa most are pounded into a paste to make the traditional dish “fufu”
D. alata
Dioscorea alata, called water yam, winged yam, and purple yam, was first cultivated somewhere in Southeast Asia. Although it is not grown in the same quantities as the African yams it has the largest distribution world-wide of any cultivated yam, being grown in Asia, the Pacific islands, Africa, and the West Indies
D. bulbifera
Dioscorea bulbifera, the air potato, is found in both Africa and Asia with slight differences between those found in the two places. It is a large vine 6 meters (20ft) or more in length. It produces tubers; however the bulbils which grow at the base of its leaves are the more important food product. They are about the size of potatoes (hence the name air potato) weighing from 0.5 to 2 kg (1 to 5 lbs). It is not grown much commercially since the flavor of other yams is preferred by most people. However it is popular in home vegetable gardens because it produces a crop after only 4 months of growth and continues for the life of the vine, as long as two years. Also the bulbils are easy to harvest and cook.
Nutrifional value
D. esculenta
Dioscorea esculenta, the lesser yam, was one of the first yam species cultivated. It is native to Southeast Asia and is the third most commonly cultivated species there, although it is cultivated very little in other parts of the world. Its vines seldom reach more than 3 meters (10 feet) in length and the tubers are fairly small in most varieties. The tubers are eaten baked, boiled, or fried much like potatoes. Because of the small size of the tubers mechanical cultivation is possible; which, along with its easy preparation and good flavor, could help the lesser yam to become more popular in the future. This variety is cultivated in India. It does not store well.
Nutritional value
Yams are high in Vitamin C, dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese; while being low in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Vitamin C, dietary fiber and Vitamin B6 may all promote good health. Furthermore, a product that is high in potassium and low in sodium is likely to produce a good potassium-sodium balance in the human body, and so protect against osteoporosis and heart disease. Having a low level of saturated fat is also helpful for protection against heart disease.
Yam products generally have a lower glycemic index than potato products, which means that they will provide a more sustained form of energy, and give better protection against obesity and diabetes.