Kabocha Picarones with Kuromitsu and Kinako (Peruvian × Japanese)
Chewy Peruvian sweet potato rings made with kabocha squash, rolled in toasted soybean flour and drizzled with Japanese dark-sugar syrup, like a wagashi doughnut.
Method
Peel the sweet potato; scoop the seeds out of the kabocha (peeling it too gives a brighter dough). Cut both into 3 cm pieces, put them in a 18 cm pot with the water, bring to the boil over high heat, then lower to medium heat and cook for , until a fork slides in easily.
Add in this stepSweet potato 80 gKabocha squash 80 gWater for cooking 700 ml
high heat→medium heatMake the kuromitsu. Put the dark sugar and water in a 14 cm small pan over medium heat, stir until dissolved and simmer for , until slightly thickened, then turn off the heat and cool. It sets to the consistency of maple syrup as it cools. Boiling syrup is very hot, so take care.
Add in this stepDark brown sugar (or Okinawan kokuto) 120 gWater for the syrup 100 ml
medium heatLift out the vegetables and keep the cooking water. Mash them until perfectly smooth and cool to lukewarm, about 37 °C. Mix 3 tablespoons of the warm cooking water with the yeast and sugar and leave for to check it foams.
Add in this stepInstant dried yeast 1 tspSugar 1 tsp
In a bowl, combine the mash, yeast mixture, flour and salt and beat hard for , until you have a sticky, stretchy, very soft dough. If it is stiff, add cooking water a tablespoon at a time.
Add in this stepPlain flour 160 gSalt 1 pinch
Cover and leave somewhere warm for , until doubled. Meanwhile, mix the kinako, sugar and salt on a wide plate.
Add in this stepKinako (roasted soybean flour) 4 tbspSugar (for the kinako) 2 tspSalt (for the kinako) 1 pinch
Pour the oil into a deep 20 cm pot, at least 5 cm deep and no more than a third full, and heat over medium-high heat for to 180 °C. A bit of dough should sizzle and float at once. Never leave hot oil unattended and keep a lid close by.
Add in this stepOil for deep-frying 700 ml
medium-high heatWet your hands in salted water and shake off the drips. Pull off golf-ball-sized pieces, push your thumbs through to form rings and slip them into the oil close to the surface. Fry 3–4 at a time in batches (2 in total), per batch, turning once with a skewer, until golden. Keep the heat at medium heat to hold 175–185 °C.
medium heatDrain for a moment, then roll the warm rings in the kinako until coated, pile into bowls and pour plenty of kuromitsu over. Eat straight away.
Cook's tip
Kinako sticks best while the doughnuts are warm, but blot them on paper first or it turns pasty. Kabocha is drier than other squash, so the dough may need a little more cooking water.
Cooking it at camp
Prepare the dough, kuromitsu and kinako mix at home. At camp, fry only small batches in a small deep pot on a stable, wind-sheltered burner, and take the cooled oil home in a bottle.