Monday, July 14, 2008

Camote Con Piloncello (Sweet Potato in Unrefined Cane Sugar Syrup)

This is an EXTREMELY POPULAR way of consuming sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and Chillicyote Squash. You can do the same with pitted peaches, whole guavas, etc. in Mexican Cuisine as well as some other cuisines of the Spanish speaking world. You won't find these on restaurant menus this is a very HOME-STYLE DESSERT.
Super simple I DO IT IN A NOT SO TRADITIONAL WAY, normally one would use a pot for this dish.
Me having my Cuban heritage consume tons of rice and always have my rice cooker handy and have learned to use for more things than rice.
YES I DO MAKE THIS IN A RICE COOKER, normally though one would do this in a pot on the stove, bring the water to a boil with everything and simmer on low. So don't worry if you don't have a rice cooker just do it on the stove.
In case you don't know "Piloncillo" is unrefined cane sugar in solid form also known as "Panela" for certain cultures, you'll find it in ANY HISPANIC SUPER MARKET,
If for some reason you cant find it use DARK BROWN SUGAR in it's place.

Ingredients:
-8 small- medium Sweet Potatoes or 5 large ones or 5 long ones just look at the pics
-2 Cinnamon Sticks
-2 "Piloncillos"
-Water

Directions:
(1)Clean sweet potatoes, remove edges and cut in half if it's to big to fit in rice cooker (I cut it)
(2)Throw in rice cooker with cinnamon, add enough water to cover the sweet potatoes 1/3 - ½ way. (I suggest 1/3 I did it half and it wasn't SUPER thick like I like, but ½ way will get you a real "maple syrup" consistency.) Then put the 2 "Piloncillos" on top (don't worry they will melt into the sweet potatoes and water with heat so don't trouble yourself

(3)Cover and turn on Rice Cooker and forget about it for 50 minutes.
(4)Uncover and it will be boiling FURIOUSLY, then let boil opened for 10 minutes to further reduce.


(5)Turn off rice cooker and your done leave there or transfer to a nice serving dish.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

can i do it with sugar, unrefined sugar???

Nathan said...

Hi Anonymous,
Yes you can do it with unrefined sugar if you'd like, substitute each "Piloncillo" for 1 cup of the unrefined sugar. You can use brown or dark brown sugar as well. Let me know how it turns out and goodluck :)

Sandra said...

I am sooo thrilled to have found your blog and this delish recipe! My late mom used to make this, but she added pineapple and pecans - any idea how to do this? Do I add the pineapple and pecans at the same time? Do you know? I want to make this dish for my dad during our Christmas dinner. I am following your blog and adding it to my sidebar to continue reading. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Happy Holidays,

Sandra

Sandra said...

Nathan, I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog and ecstatic to find this recipe! My late mom used to always make this for Thanksgiving; however, she added pineapple....do you know if I have to cook the pineapple and pecans at the same time w/everything else or should I add these later? Thanks so much for posting this. I'm going to add your blog to my sidebar b/c I'm definitely trying some of these great recipes!

Your newest follower,
Sandra

Nathan said...

Sandra,
Hi Sandra thanks for the blog visit I'll be checking your blog too :) I'm not 100% sure when to add the pineapple, but I would add it (if using fresh) probably the last 10- 15 minutes of cooking, and simply toast the pecans and stir them in at the end once I turn everything off & if using canned pineapple, I'd add the pineapple juice from the beginning of cooking, then the actual pineapple chunks the last 5 minutes (since canned pineapple is already kinda cooked I wouldn't want it to disintegrate) hope that helps :)

Unknown said...

Do I have to cook it in a rice cooker or can I regular pot and if so how high should I have it?

Nathan said...

Hi Samantha,

You can do this on the stove top, once it comes to a boil on high you can cook on medium low heat for 35- 45 minutes partially covered until the sweet potatoes are cooked and then leave uncovered until the syrup thickens to your desired consistency.

Unknown said...

Hey I found this on google my gma use to do it. Glad I found it but was wondering whats the best way to eat this?

Nathan said...

Hola Lilia,

My two favorite ways to eat it is hot or cold with some of the syrup in a bowl, and I pour milk on it. Kind of like cereal :-)

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much!!! I have always wanted to make this dish.

Anonymous said...

GRACIAS Nathan :) Ya avia tenido muchas ganas de comer esto!!!