KAUKAU: PAPUA NEW GUINEAN SWEET POTATO

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, washed and dried
• 3 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

How to Make

Stage 1 - Pre-Cook the Sweet Potato

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Rinse your sweet potatoes thoroughly, then wrap in tinfoil
3. Place your tinfoiled sweet potatoes into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. You'll want to turn them over at the halfway point, but otherwise you can leave them to bake until they're soft enough to poke through with a fork

Stage 2 - Create Kaukau Puree

1. Once the sweet potatoes have cooked, remove them from the oven (keep the oven on, though) and peel the sweet potatoes out of the tinfoil
2. Slice your kaukau very carefully lengthwise
3. Take a spoon and hollow out your sweet potato into a bowl. For presentation's sake, try to keep the skin of your sweet potato intact, although this is optional
4. Begin to puree your sweet potato insides with a whisk. As the sweet potato begins to puree, add your coconut oil and continue to whisk
5. Add your coconut milk, shallots, garlic and ginger and whisk in well
6. Next, add your orange juice, cinnamon, salt and pepper, and whisk again
7. Very carefully and gently scoop your kaukau coconut mash back into the sweet potato skins (which will have cooled and slightly hardened again)
8. Place your filled kaukau canoes into the oven for another 5 minutes, then remove and let cool. Enjoy!