Kokuto & Beni-Imo Mushipan
アガラサー·(a-ga-ra-sa)
Sata Andagi & Island Sweets: Afternoon Snacks and Rituals
Dark blocks of kokuto. A bamboo steamer. Twenty minutes. When the bamboo lid hisses, the smell of dark, earthy sugar turning into molten caramel inside a steamer means Sanji-ja—three o'clock tea time. This is a rustic, cracked-open steam cake—a firm departure from an artificially dyed, frosted bakery cupcake. We swap heavily restricted raw beni-imo for accessible Stokes Purple sweet potatoes, spiking the batter with a teaspoon of soy sauce. Peel away the paper liner while the crumb is still steaming, and pour the tea.
Ingredients
- Stokes Purple sweet potato1/4 cup
- water or whole milk1/3 cup
- powdered kokuto or dark muscovado sugar3 tbsp
- chunk kokuto or piloncillo2 tbsp
- neutral oil1 tsp
- soy sauce1 tsp
- all-purpose flour3/4 cup
- baking powder1 tsp
Method
- 01
Microwave the sweet potato cubes until just tender.
Stokes Purples are incredibly dry, so put the cubes in a bowl with a few drops of water, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and blast them on high for 90 seconds before draining and setting aside.
- 02
Rig a steamer using a wide skillet and a wire rack.
Fill the pan with an inch and a half of water, bring it to a violent, rolling boil, and wrap the pot lid in a clean kitchen towel to catch condensation so water doesn't bomb the delicate surface of your buns.
- 03
Whisk the liquid base until the powdered sugar completely dissolves.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk or water, powdered kokuto, oil, and that crucial teaspoon of soy sauce—the savory anchor that keeps this from becoming cloyingly sweet.
- 04
Sift the flour and baking powder directly over the wet mixture and fold gently.
Use a rubber spatula and stop while there are still a few lumps; overmixing develops the gluten and will turn your fluffy mushipan into dense, rubbery hockey pucks.
- 05
Fold in half the sweet potato and all of the kokuto chunks.
Those coarse sugar rocks won't dissolve now, but they’ll melt under the steam to create pockets of molten caramel inside the crumb.
- 06
Divide the batter into five or six baking cups and steam on high for 12 to 15 minutes.
Fill sturdy paper or silicone muffin cups about 70 percent full, scatter the remaining sweet potato on top, and get them onto the steamer rack. Cover immediately and don't you dare lift that lid for at least 10 minutes, or the temperature drop will collapse them.
- 07
Pull the buns when a toothpick comes out clean.
Carefully transfer them to a wire rack and eat them warm while the crumb is impossibly bouncy and the caramel centers are still gooey.
Notes
These buns are best eaten the exact day they're made.
Because they contain barely any fat, they dry out quickly. Wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic and microwave them for 15 to 20 seconds to instantly revive that fresh, bouncy texture.
From Cook Okinawan in America.