Learn how to make Homemade Yam Paste at home! It's so amazingly easy to make this yourself. This delicious yam paste is so versatile and perfect as a filling for mooncakes, Asian pastries, cakes, buns and many other desserts. Enjoy!
Peel yam and purple sweet potatoes. Cut into small pieces.
Place on a heat resistance tray and put on steamer. Steam over high for 30 minutes, till very soft. Test for doneness. (Yam should be fork tender).
Remove the steamed yam and sweet potato from steamer. Transfer onto mixing bowl, add in sugar and briefly mash the steamed yam and sweet potatoes with a fork while they are still hot.
Add in enough water and blend with a mixer or blender till it is really smooth.
Prepare Flour Paste:
Meanwhile, in a small bowl make a flour paste for the yam. Mix all-purpose flour, koh fun and wheat starch together. Then add in cooking oil and stir well to combine. Then set aside and we can start to cook the yam paste.
Cooking Yam Paste:
Transfer the liquified smooth yam paste onto a non-stick pan. Cook the yam paste on low heat till thickened and stir constantly.
Stir till the yam paste thickens. To make sure the paste is thick enough, push the spatula through the middle of the paste and if it leaves a trail and only falls back into place slowly, then the paste is thick enough. Then add in the flour paste prepared earlier and mix it well with the yam paste.
Continue to stir using low heat till the yam paste comes together. The yam paste is ready when the spatula used is completely clean of the paste and leaves a depression when pressed using your finger. Also when pinched a little of the paste, if it stands then the paste is ready. And we are done!
Remove from heat and let the yam paste cool completely before use. Cling wrap to prevent drying. When cooled, can be formed into balls as a filling. Excess yam paste can be wrapped in cling wrap and keep refrigerated for about 1 week. You can also put in container and freeze it. Return frozen paste to room temperature before use.
This homemade yam paste can be rolled into balls and use as mooncake filling, buns and other Chinese dessert.
Choose bigger size yams. Scrape the bottom of yam and if it feels powdery, then the yam is good.
When peeling yam skin, try to get rid of the hard skin or else the yam paste will not be fine and smooth. If there are yellow spots, it is not fresh, Remove the spots
To test if the steamed yam is cooked, use a chopstick or fork to prick the yam and if yam breaks easily, it is fully cooked.
Blend the steamed yam when hot. Otherwise the blended yam texture will not be smooth.
Purple sweet potato is to give the yam paste a nice vibrant colour. Do not add too much purple sweet potato, otherwise it will overpower the taste of yam.
The flour paste gives the yam paste a slightly thicker texture.