Ibid

Ibid

When putting the yams into boiling water, one should select an odd number of roots, not an even number. A pot should contain yams of only a single color. The vessel of water should be wide so that the yams can spread out naturally.

Whether one is boiling three or five yams, or thirty-one or fifty-one yams, they should fall straight to the bottom of the pot in one mass, neither crowded together nor falling around loosely and leaning against the sides of the pot. This technique is called “resting soundly.”

Some of the yams should stand up proudly, while others recline at angles. Some should be high and some low, with some small space in between, to keep the meal from becoming stiff and unnatural.

The yams should not be disorderly and the arrangement should not be stiff. If one uses onions to flavor the yams they should be hidden. This technique is called “rinsing the mouth of the pot.”