When I was in senior high school, the mart will sell warm yam balls every afternoon. I did’t have money so I would buy it once in a long while and every time I bit into it I would swear that it was the best thing I had ever had. It was just so soft and just so good and I absolutely loved it. This is a play on the traditional yam balls but I have added a couple of things I love it, cheese and of course that extra crunch that we all so love. If you like more cheese, add more cheese. if you want more onions add more onions. It is entirely up to you. The dip is absolutely delightful. I’m certain it’ll be my favorite dip pretty soon and it’s super simple. If you don’t have my garlic chili sauce or my sweet spicy chili sauce, any asian style chili sauce will work.

Recipe

what you need

For the yam sticks

320g (2 1/2 cups) cooked and mashed yam.

3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove (2 teaspoons), finely chopped

2 green chilies, thinly sliced 

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary 

6 basil leafs (2 tablespoons) finely chopped 

62g (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) freshly grated cheddar (yellow and white)

50g freshly grated gouda

Seasoned breadcrumbs 

1/2 cup breadcrumbs  (I used panko)

5 basil leafs (2 tablespoons) finely chopped basil 

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper 

pinch of nutmeg 

Extra

1/3 cup cooked bacon, chopped

2 cups veg oil

For dredging 

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup plain flour

seasoned breadcrumbs

Dip

1/4 cup hellman’s real mayonnaise

1/4 cup hellman’s tartar sauce

as much of my chili garlic sauce or my sweet & spicy chili sauce as you want 

6 basil leafs, finely chopped

• You can make this a day ahead and place in the fridge overnight.

Directions

The smaller you cut the yams the faster they’ll cook. Place yam in a cold water over medium heat. Add a generous amount of salt and let it cook until completely soft. Drain the cooking liquid as soon as the yam is cooked. Using a tapoli or masher, mash yam until completely smooth. Set in fridge until it cools down.

Place the cooled yam in a bowl and add all the rest of the ingredients for the basil yam stick. Stir everything together and add the cheese and bacon if using any.. Stir until everything is fully combined. Loosely wrap the yam mixture in a cling film and pat into a square of 1 inch thick. Set aside in the freezer for 20 minutes. After it’s out of the freezer, place on a flat surface and using a sharp knife cut into 10 sticks. Place back into the freezer until ready to fry.

Combine the ingredients for the dip and set aside in the fridge till ready to use

Heat up oil over medium heat until hot. Set up your workstation for dredging. The whisked egg in one bowl, the flour in another bowl and the seasoned breadcrumbs in another bowl. Add a pinch of salt to the breadcrumbs and stir. First dip the yam sticks in the plain flour then in egg and lastly in the breadcrumbs then straight into the oil. Fry until golden brown then remove from oil and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on it whilst it’s still hot..

Serve warm with the dip.