Okinawan sweet potatoes have purple flesh and are used in sweet and savory dishes. Look for small to medium-sized potatoes with smooth skin and avoid soft spots or discoloration. Cook before consumption and use in pies, tempura, and meat dishes.
Okinawan sweet potatoes are purple relatives of the more common orange sweet potato and were first grown in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture. These tubers have thin, tan to brown skin and sweet, starchy, bright purple flesh used for sweet and savory dishes. The best Okinawan sweet potatoes are small to medium in size with a firm texture and smooth, wrinkle-free skin. Avoid specimens with soft spots, dark brown discoloration, or visible buds. You can roast or boil these unusual tubers for consumption on their own or use them in pies, tempura and meat dishes.
This tuber is about the size and shape of a conventional gold or orange sweet potato, with a slightly more starry texture when raw. While Okinawan sweet potatoes look a lot like Philippine ubo or purple potatoes, they are unrelated and have a sweeter taste. You can identify these tubers in Asian markets or specialty food stores by the slight purplish tint that shows through thin-skinned areas or by looking for broken tubers that have a purple center. Don’t confuse them with purple-skinned sweet potatoes, which have white flesh and are less sweet.
Look for sweet potatoes between the size of your fingers and about 1 pound, as larger specimens can be hard and woody. These Japanese purple potatoes should have smooth, wrinkle-free skins with no darkening or discoloration and a firm texture. Soft spots or dark areas can indicate spoilage, even in a sweet potato that looks healthy from the outside, while sprouts on the surface produce a less attractive tuber with reduced sweetness. Choose similarly sized sweet potatoes for even cooking and store them no longer than two weeks in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place.
Like other sweet potatoes, the Okinawan variety is inedible when raw and must be boiled, baked, roasted or grilled before consumption. When fully cooked, Okinawan sweet potatoes have a soft, fluffy texture with a thin, pliable skin that can be slightly crunchy when cooked. The flesh can be eaten with butter, coconut milk, or other seasonings, or removed from the skin for use in soufflés, mashed potatoes, and casseroles. Okinawan sweet potatoes are often eaten with meat, wilted greens, or onions. These naturally sweet tubers also work well in cakes, puddings and other desserts, especially when combined with traditional Asian flavors like coconut or ginger.
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