Doughy delights

A roasted sweet potato reminds me of Japan almost as much as a bowl of ramen, and definitely contains just as much enthusiasm. A hot receptacle of the purple-skinned, yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes are offered like a special treat to customers. While they require very little skill in preparation, they are prized as if someone spent time slaving over them in the kitchen.

All you need to do for a perfect sweet potato is roast it. Wash the skin, pierce it with a fork several times, wrap it in aluminum foil, and put it in a 350-degree oven. A large Japanese sweet potato will take a little more than an hour. Maybe it’s excessive to heat up the oven for one or even three potatoes, but I think the results are the best.

My mom whipped up some little snacks last week that were little more than sweet potatoes and potato starch or “katakuriko.” I think katakuriko is used more commonly in Japan than the United States, but it’s easily found in grocery stores here in Hawaii. She wanted us to try the bites with a savory Thai chile sauce, but we all opted for a maple syrup dunk. The texture almost made these a cross between andagi and mochi doughnuts for me. I wanted to make it even more like a doughnut, so I added an egg to the mix. Eat these soon after frying for are a lovely sweet potato treat.

Sweet Potato Doughnut Bites

Ingredients for doughnut bites:

• 1 cup roasted Japanese sweet potato

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup potato starch or “katakuriko,” plus more for rolling

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• Oil for frying

Ingredients for maple cream cheese frosting:

• 3 ounces cream cheese

• 1 tablespoons sour cream

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Remove the skin and mash the sweet potato in a bowl. Add the egg, katakuriko, maple syrup and sea salt. Stir until combined.

Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels. Add about 3 inches of frying oil in a small saucepan.

Heat over medium until the oil is very hot. In a bowl add a tablespoon of katakuriko.

Spoon a rounded tablespoon of the sweet potato dough on to the starch and pat some of the dust into your hands. Working quickly, form the potato very lightly into a ball.

Using a spoon, lower the potato ball into the hot oil. Repeat again three more times. Remove the doughnuts with tongs or cooking chopsticks onto the paper towel-lined plate as they become deep golden brown.

Repeat until you have cooked all of the dough. Add more starch to the bowl as needed to form the doughnuts. Serve while still warm with the maple cream cheese frosting for dipping.

To make maple cream cheese frosting: Unwrap and allow the cream cheese to soften slightly at room temperature. Place in a mixing bowl. Then add the sour

cream, maple syrup and powdered sugar. Beat until it is a frosting consistency.

Makes 10-12 doughnut bites (gluten free).

Mariko Jackson writes about family and food. Email her at thelittlefoodie@gmail.com.