Slammin’ Southern Candied Yams
FATIMA CHAUDHARY PREPARES AYANNA BOATENGʼS
SLAMMINʼ SOUTHERN CANDIED YAMS RECIPE
FATIMA’S
REFLECTION
A task is not simply just a
task. Baking and cooking are
not simply tasks. What brings
meaning are ingredients, recipe,
texture, smells, and sounds,
and the opportunity for connecting with others. It
is the joy of trying something new, sharing smiles
and laughter, and sometimes tears—from cutting
onions. Meaning comes from the people who come
into the kitchen to be a part, who want to touch
and taste and yes, to be fed. To appreciate culture
is to appreciate people’s experiences and stories
and to allow ourselves to live in another’s world.
As Dr. King teaches, “We must learn how to live as
brothers and sisters or we will perish as fools.”
Slammin’ Southern
Candied Yams
INGREDIENTS
6-8 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 cup sugar, with more to taste
2 sticks butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
PREPARATION
Cut sweet potatoes into cubes.
Boil just enough water to cover top of sweet potatoes.
Add sweet potatoes to boiling water and boil for 10 minutes with the
lid on.
If sweet potatoes are still firm, boil on high until water has nearly
evaporated.
Once sweet potatoes are soft enough to easily insert a fork, add sugar,
1 to 2 sticks butter, and cinnamon. Everything goes in the same pot!
Let sweet potato mixture cook until sauce has soaked into the potatoes
and the sauce is light brown in color and has a syrup-like texture.
Add extra sugar to taste.
Serve and enjoy.
Congressman John Lewis and Fatima share a moment of mutual appreciation.
52 FROM A KITCHEN IN THE WORLD HOUSE