Karukan (Japanese Steamed Yam Cake)
かるかん · Karukan
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Karukan is a traditional steamed confection from Kagoshima in southern Japan, made from grated yam, rice flour and sugar. The nagaimo gives it a light, springy, almost marshmallow-soft texture that is easy for little ones to bite and chew, and the sweetness is gentle rather than sugary. It is made without egg, dairy or wheat, and it works well as an afternoon snack (oyatsu) for preschoolers.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 34.5 gjoshinko (Japanese non-glutinous rice flour)Fine flour milled from regular short-grain rice, used for chewy Japanese sweets like dango. Substitute: Plain rice flour (not glutinous/sweet rice flour).
- 15 gnagaimo (Japanese yam)Nagaimo is a long, pale Japanese mountain yam with a crisp, slightly slippery texture that is often grated or diced into dishes. Substitute: Taro or potato in cooked dishes (there is no close match for raw nagaimo)
Seasonings
- 0.8 gbaking powder
- 17.3 gsugar
- 20.3 mlwater
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- joshinko (Japanese non-glutinous rice flour) (上新粉)
- Fine flour milled from regular short-grain rice, used for chewy Japanese sweets like dango. Substitute: Plain rice flour (not glutinous/sweet rice flour).
- nagaimo (Japanese yam) (ながいも)
- Nagaimo is a long, pale Japanese mountain yam with a crisp, slightly slippery texture that is often grated or diced into dishes. Substitute: Taro or potato in cooked dishes (there is no close match for raw nagaimo)
Directions
- 1
Put the joshinko and baking powder in a bowl and whisk them together.
- 2
Purée the nagaimo in a food processor (or similar) until smooth, then mix it with the water and sugar. Add the flour mixture from step 1 and stir gently until just combined.
- 3
Pour the batter into cups, set them in a steamer, and steam over high heat for about 10 minutes.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 196.5 kcal | 393 kcal | 196.5 kcal |
| Protein | 2.4 g | 4.8 g | 2.4 g |
| Fat | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46.5 g | 93 g | 46.5 g |
| Fiber | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Calcium | 22.5 mg | 45 mg | 22.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 124.5 mg | 249 mg | 124.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 196.5 kcal | 2.4 g | 0.3 g | 46.5 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g | 22.5 mg | 0.3 mg | 124.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 393 kcal | 4.8 g | 0.6 g | 93 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g | 45 mg | 0.6 mg | 249 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
