Creamy King Yam Pudding- Rasavalli Kilangu

Growing up, Rasavalli Kilangu, also known as king yam, has always been my favourite traditional South Asian dessert. My grandma would make this dish every summer, and up until recently it felt impossible to replicate. She had mastered creating this dish to be both creamy and chunky, and had the unique skillset to expertly balance the taste of both coconut and king yam.

Knowing it was my favourite dessert, my grandma would always give me a heaping serving to enjoy. I still remember the feeling of coming home after a hot summer day, and the excitement I would feel when she told me she had made Rasavalli Kilangu.I had tried time and time again to create my own version of this dish to enjoy, but it never tasted right. But after a lot of trial and error, I was able to perfect the dessert. Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy as well.

King Yam
Before we get started, I have to share a little bit about the star of our dish- King Yam. A common yam type in Asia, king yam is a starchy vegetable that has a rigid brown exterior but purple fleshy interior. The yam resembles a potato upon cooking, as it becomes soft in texture the more it is cooked. There are dozens of dishes that can be made with yams, however, my favourite is Rasavalli Kilangu.

When I first embarked on the journey of recreating Rasavalli Kilangu, I was stumped about which yam to use. There are so many varieties, including the more popular taro yams. However, after some research at local South Asian grocery stores and conversations with my grandmother, I was able to isolate king yam as the yam to use.

While my grandma opts for a much more traditional route of making coconut cream herself from the coconut meat, I tend to rely on store bought cream for the convenience. After taste testing both variations, I can confidently say that there is little to no difference in taste or consistency. Also store bought coconut cream has a much longer shelf life, is much cheaper than buying multiple coconuts to retrieve the meat, and also cuts the preparation time for this dish by more than half.

If I’m enjoying the dish the next day, I typically will warm up the dessert in the microwave, as my favourite way to enjoy it is while it’s warm. However, it is also commonly consumed at room temperature or even when it’s cold.

Rasavalli Kilangu is one of the many dishes I wanted to be able to recreate from my family’s cookbook. It has been passed down from my great grandma to my grandma, and I feel so grateful that I’ve been able to immortalize this recipe and hopefully make it for years to come.

Ingredients
-600 grams purple king yam
-1 cups coconut cream
-0.5 cups water
-0.5 cups granulated sugar
-0.5 tsp salt

Method
1. Peel the yam and rinse several times under hot water to remove slimy layer
2. Cut yams into small 2 inch pieces and place in a pot with enough water to cover them
3. Cook the yams till soft and drain the excess water
4. Add sugar, salt, coconut cream and water to pot
5. Mash the yams
6. Mix and allow for the dish to simmer
7. Remove from pot and enjoy