Instant Pot Okinawan Sweet Potatoes, Two Ways: Pressure Cooked & Mashed
I recommend trying Okinawan sweet potatoes, also known as Hawaiian sweet potatoes. They are so delicious, nutritious, and easy to prepare. My favorite way is to pressure cook them in an Instant Pot however you can also cook them in a pot on your stovetop as well (see notes).
This recipe is a "cook once, eat twice" recipe. Use the Instant Pot to cook all of the sweet potatoes, them serve half of them pressure cooked, plain and simple right out of the pot for your first meal and then make a sweet potato mash for your second meal. Of course, if you like them plain or you like them mashed, serve all of the Okinawan sweet potatoes in the way you prefer.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Okinawan sweet potatoes (approximately 8-10 medium, 6-8 ounces each)
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup coconut milk or other alternative milk optional, add 1-2 tablespoon as needed
Instructions
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In a large washing bowl, scrub the sweet potatoes with a vegetable scrubber and rinse until the sweet potatoes are clean.
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Place a trivet into the Instant Pot liner and add 1 cup water. Arrange the sweet potatoes on the trivet, larger sweet potatoes and big round ends near the bottom, smaller ones on top, and then lock the lid.
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Program the Instant Pot to “pressure cook” (or “manual) for 15 minutes at high pressure.
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When the timer chimes, natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes (you can allow it to natural release longer until the rest of dinner is ready), and then release the remaining pressure.
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Serve half (or all) of the sweet potatoes.
Make mashed potatoes
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If serving the mashed potatoes right away, allow the sweet potatoes to cool to touch, cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and transfer to a medium sized bowl, add ¼ cup of coconut milk (more if needed or if making mashed potatoes using all the cooked sweet potatoes), and stir until the sweet potatoes are well-mixed.
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If serving the mashed potatoes later, refrigerate the pressure cooked potatoes in a container after they have cooled down a bit. When you are ready to make them, peel the sweet potatoes with your fingers or a knife and transfer them to a medium sized saucepan. Add the coconut milk (1-2 tablespoons more, as needed) and mix until they’re a mashed consistency while reheating the sweet potatoes on medium low heat (5 minutes).
Recipe Notes
Stovetop cooking instructions: Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes. Place in a 6-8 quart stock pot and arrange the sweet potatoes as evenly as possible. Add enough water to cover the sweet potatoes and bring the water to a boil and then simmer on medium low heat for 40 minutes until you can poke through them with a fork.
Calorie count is approximately 220 per 6 ounce sweet potato. The actual calories for the mashed sweet potato may vary according to how much coconut (or other) milk you use.