How to Steam Sweet Potatoes Perfectly: A Guide to Sweet, Moist Delights
How to Steam Sweet Potatoes Perfectly: A Guide to Sweet, Moist Delights
Steaming sweet potatoes in a pot, cooking time for steamed sweet potatoes, how to boil sweet potatoes for a moist texture, sweet potato calories.
In the past, simple snacks like baked or steamed potatoes and sweet potatoes were the ultimate treats. I fondly remember winter nights spent with family, sharing and blowing on perfectly baked sweet potatoes that were charred black. Sweet potatoes, a native and nutritious food, are rich in dietary fiber and are a popular choice for those dieting. Sweet potatoes contain about 128kcal per 100g, so a medium-sized one (around 200g) would be approximately 256kcal. Their high fiber content helps maintain fullness for a long time, making them a favorite for weight management. With the arrival of new sweet potatoes, I’ve bought some to enjoy. While I love them baked and steamed, I’m also reminded of my mother steam-cooking them in a rice cooker using a traditional aluminum pot placed upside down. Is there any better healthy snack during autumn than sweet potatoes? Let’s learn how to make delicious and healthy sweet potatoes by steaming or boiling them in a pot! Get ready to make a nutritious and tasty treat.
Ingredients- Chestnut sweet potatoes
- Water
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, it’s crucial to wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Since we’ll be steaming or boiling them with the skin on, scrub them well under running water with a kitchen scrubber to remove any dirt or debris. After washing, trim off both ends of the sweet potatoes. This helps prevent them from falling apart during cooking and removes any potentially bitter parts from the ends.
Step 2
Pour about 4 cups (approximately 800ml) of water into a pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once the water is vigorously boiling, place a silicone steamer basket or a steaming rack inside the pot and arrange the washed sweet potatoes neatly. (The photo shows 4 small-sized sweet potatoes.) When steaming sweet potatoes in a steamer, ensure the water level below the steamer does not touch the sweet potatoes directly, as they cook using steam. You can add more water during the steaming process if needed.
Step 3
The steaming time can vary depending on the size of the sweet potatoes and the heat level of your stove. For medium-sized sweet potatoes, it usually takes about 30 minutes after the water starts boiling. The sweet potatoes in my photo were on the smaller side, so I steamed them over high heat for the first 10 minutes, then reduced the heat to medium-low and steamed for another 10 minutes. Finally, let them rest covered for about 5 minutes to steam-cook perfectly. This results in delicious, moist steamed chestnut sweet potatoes! A helpful tip: if you’re steaming multiple sweet potatoes, try to select ones of similar size so they cook evenly. You can check for doneness by piercing the thickest part with a skewer or chopstick; if it goes in smoothly with no resistance, the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
Step 4
When boiling sweet potatoes, the cooking time also depends on their size, quantity, and the stove’s heat. Fill the pot with water so that it comes up to about half the height of the sweet potatoes. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Small sweet potatoes typically take about 15-20 minutes to boil over medium heat, while larger ones might need around 30 minutes. As with steaming, check for doneness by piercing them with a chopstick or skewer.
Step 5
Making a small slit down the center of the sweet potato before steaming or boiling can make peeling much easier once they’re cooked. They are best enjoyed hot, right after peeling, but if you find handling very hot food difficult, this trick helps. The slit allows them to cool slightly while still being easy to peel.
Step 6
The two sweet potatoes on the right in the photo were boiled, while the smaller ones on the left were steamed. Personally, I prefer the slightly moist texture of water-sweet potatoes over the very dry, crumbly texture of chestnut sweet potatoes, so I found the boiled ones to be more to my liking. If you enjoy a drier, starchier texture, steamed sweet potatoes would be ideal, while boiled ones offer a softer, more hydrated experience.
Step 7
Don’t the boiled sweet potatoes look wonderfully moist and tender? As we get older, (haha) we seem to appreciate these softer, more hydrated cooked sweet potatoes more. Of course, everyone’s preferences differ, so feel free to enjoy the unique qualities of both steamed and boiled sweet potatoes!
