Yam, also called orh in Hokkien and Keladi in Malay, is a starchy tuber from the genus Colocasia. Despite it being called yam in Malaysia (and Singapore), the name yam actually refers to another type of tuber, of the genus Dioscorea. The tuber that Malaysians call "yam" is actually called "taro" in English. It is related to the Caladium, an ornamental houseplant that gave its name to the Malay word keladi. This confusion over the name of keladi in English has resulted in all the Nyonya dishes with taro being named "yam".

Formerly an overlooked vegetable, the taro has found its way into a multitude of Penang dishes, both the savory and the desserts. Among the Nyonya dishes that make use of taro include ark orh (yam duck) and khau yoke (a Hakka-inspired dish of taro and pork belly). It is also cooked with rice to make orh puoi (yam rice), a popular accompaniment to bak kut teh.

Taro is very tasty when deep fried with thnee koay. Taro also makes its way into Nyonya desserts such as orh nya, and in sweet broths such as pengat.