A mucilage in the flesh. It is normal, and it thickens soups.

Does it need long cooking?

Twenty minutes simmering is enough; it falls apart beyond that.

Not recommended — it is starchy and irritating raw.

Chinese yam

Dioscorea polystachya

Chinese yam is a mild, starchy tuber used in soups and steamed dishes. It is the plainest ingredient in our range and the one most often eaten daily.

What it is

A long, thin tuber with rough brown skin and white flesh that is slippery when cut. Texturally closer to a potato than to a sweet potato.

How it is used

Peeled and steamed, eaten plain with a little salt.
Cut into rounds and simmered in pork or chicken soup.
Steamed and mashed into a breakfast bowl with sesame and red date.

Choosing and keeping

How to choose	Firm, unbruised, with no soft tips. A dry, clean break when snapped is a good sign.
How to store	Cool and dark for two weeks. Peeled yam browns fast — hold it in lightly salted water.
When it belongs	Autumn through winter, when the roots are lifted.
Pairs with	Poria, lotus seed, goji, black sesame.
Where ours comes from	Jiaozuo, Henan, and our Tongchuan plots.

Questions

Why is it slippery?: A mucilage in the flesh. It is normal, and it thickens soups.
Does it need long cooking?: Twenty minutes simmering is enough; it falls apart beyond that.
Can it be eaten raw?: Not recommended — it is starchy and irritating raw.

Updated 2026-10-31 · Written and reviewed by the Yaowang Heritage kitchen team. Sources: our own cultivation and processing records; our story for the Taibai Mountain and Tongchuan sites. Ordering and specifications are on the product pages.