Tumai Kuru & Haupia Parfaits
紅芋とハウピアのパフェ·(too-my koo-roo and how-PEE-ah)
Base Food & The Diaspora Plate
The Okinawan sweet potato sits mashed. The canned coconut milk rests cold. A short juice glass holds both. Layering the tumai kuru—a storm-resilient sweet potato with violently purple flesh—with rich coconut produces sweet potato haupia pie. On a random Tuesday, nobody has time to bake a macadamia nut shortbread from scratch, so this parfait strips the dessert down to its essentials. By steaming the potatoes unattended in a countertop rice cooker, you retain the starchy sweetness of the potato balanced against the coconut layer. Drive a spoon down to the glass bottom so the spoon scrapes up a bit of both.
Before you start
Active time: 20 minutes.
Passive time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
Yields 4 to 6 parfaits.
Ingredients
- Okinawan sweet potatoes1 lb
- sweetened condensed milk3 tbsp
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- sea salt1 pinch
- full-fat coconut milk13 1/2 oz
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- cornstarch4 tbsp
- water1/2 cup
- macadamia nuts2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Steam the sweet potatoes in a rice cooker.
Place the sliced sweet potatoes into the bowl of a countertop rice cooker with 1/2 cup of water, close the lid, and press the standard white rice or cook button. Let it run its cycle unattended. If you lack a rice cooker, microwave them in a covered bowl with 1/4 cup of water for 10 to 15 minutes until fork-tender.
- 02
Mash and season the purple potato paste.
When the rice cooker switches to warm, carefully open the lid and drain any residual water. While still piping hot, transfer the potatoes to a bowl, add the butter, sweetened condensed milk, and salt, then mash vigorously until you have a smooth, vibrant purple paste. Spoon this evenly into the bottoms of 4 to 6 small glasses or ramekins.
- 03
Prepare the haupia base.
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch, sugar, and cold water until completely smooth to prevent irreversible clumping. Pour the coconut milk into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until it is warm and just beginning to steam, taking care not to let it boil.
- 04
Thicken the pudding.
Slowly pour the cold cornstarch slurry into the warm coconut milk while whisking continuously. Keep whisking gently over medium-low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until the mixture suddenly transforms into a glossy, thick pudding that coats your whisk, then immediately remove it from the heat.
- 05
Layer and chill the parfaits.
Spoon the hot haupia directly over the sweet potato layer in your glasses. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, cover with plastic wrap taking care not to touch the pudding's surface, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.
Notes
Sourcing the right potato.
Look for pale tan skin and vivid purple flesh at Asian grocers, often labeled as Beni Imo or Hawaiian Sweet Potato. Do not confuse this with the dark-skinned Filipino ube, which has a completely different, nuttier flavor profile. Stokes Purple sweet potatoes are an acceptable substitute if true Okinawan potatoes cannot be found.
The science of the coconut pudding.
The secret to the haupia's texture lies in starch gelatinization. Cornstarch granules must be suspended in cold water before hitting the heat; if you dump them straight into hot coconut milk, the outside of the clumps will instantly cook and seal dry powder inside forever.
From Cook Okinawan in America.