• Yield: Serves 4 to 6


This brings back memories of the festive family tables where I cooked these in large quantities. You can make this dish hot by adding chili flakes or powder, imparting a beautiful yet contrasting flavor of pungency, combined with the sweetness of yams and apple. Sweet potatoes are commonly used in place of yams, as they are more easily available and similar in taste and texture. Yams should be thoroughly scrubbed before cooking.

  • 1 pound yams, peeled and thinly cut into wedges

  • 10 to 12 shallots, peeled

  • Salt to taste

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 2 apples, thinly cut into wedges

  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

  • 2 rosemary sprigs, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Gently toss the yams, shallots, salt, cumin, garlic, and apples in a medium mixing bowl. Arrange in layers in a shallow, ovenproof baking dish.

Evenly pour the vegetable stock over the yam mixture. Bake until the top is browned and the yams are soft and cooked thoroughly, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Serve hot, garnished with the rosemary.


Excerpted from Indian Harvest. Text and recipes copyright © Vikas Khanna 2015. Photographs copyright © Vikas Khanna and Michael Swamy 2015. Published by Bloomsbury USA, reprinted with permission.

Vikas Khanna
Vikas Khanna is a chef, restaurateur, food writer, filmmaker and host of the TV show "MasterChef India." He is the author of several cookbooks, including Flavors First: An Indian Chef's Culinary Journey. He is the founder of Cooking for Life and SAKIV organizations, which host events in support of relief efforts and awareness issues. Khanna has received several awards, including the Access to Freedom Award from SATH and The Shining Star Award from Just One Break, Inc. The documentary series "Holy Kitchens" was based on his journey to discover the spiritual foods that create shared identity.