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–+ servings
purple potato cut in half.

How to cook Japanese Purple Yams (Sweet Potatoes)

Kaylie
These delicious and naturally sweet Japanese yams (sweet potatoes) are some of  the best potatoes to eat for their taste and highly nutritious value. They are easy to make with minimal prep and no additional ingredients. Learn how to make them by oven roasting, steaming, pressure cooking or microwaving.
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Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Japanese
Servings 4 potatoes
Calories 251 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Instant Pot optional
  • steamer basket optional

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Japanese purple yams (about 250-300 grams) washed and scrubbed also called Japanese purple sweet potato, Okinawan purple sweet potato, Hawaiian purple yam

Instructions
 

Oven Roasting

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
    Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork
    Place the potatoes on a roasting pan and roast for 45-50 minutes.
    Check at the 45 minutes mark, pierce a fork or chopstick in the middle of the potato, if it goes through smoothly, then it is done.

Stovetop Steamed 

  • Add about 1 inch of water to a large pot, and take it to a boil on high heat.
    Poke hole into the potatoes.
    Once the water boils, add a steamer basket.
    Place the potatoes onto the steamer basket.
    Cover with a lid and steam on medium heat for 40-45 minutes. Check at the 40 minute mark. If a fork pierces smoothly through the middle of the potato smoothly, then it is done.

Instant pot (Pressure cooking)

  • For a 6 quart instant pot - add 1 cup of water.
    Add a steamer rack.
    Poke hole into the potatoes.
    Place potatoes on the steamer rack.
    Place and lock the lid on.
    Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, quick release when done.

Microwave

  • Poke holes into the potato with a fork.
    Microwave on high for 6-7 minutes.

Notes

Nutritional information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the specific flour and starter you use. Accuracy for nutritional information on this site is not guaranteed.
 
  • Poking holes- poke holes into the potato prior to cooking to allow any trapped steam to escape and prevent any mini food explosions. 
  • Wrapping in foil - wrapped potatoes doesn’t make a difference in texture or cooking time. Roasting the potatoes unwrapped will give a nice crispy edible skin. If you are concerned about potato juice drippings when roasting, then that is the only time I recommend wrapping each potato with foil. 
  • Cooking times vary - size and weight of the sweet potatoes will affect the cooking times. Smaller potatoes cook faster and large ones take longer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1potatoCalories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 0.3gSodium: 22mgPotassium: 812mgFiber: 6g
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