Sweet Potato Fruit Kinton (Mashed Sweet Potato Balls)
さつまいものフルーツきんとん · Satsumaimo no Furūtsu Kinton
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Kinton is a classic Japanese sweet made by mashing sweet potato (or chestnut) and twisting it in a cloth into a neat little ball, and it shows up in kuri kinton at New Year's. This version folds in pieces of banana, so the sweetness comes mostly from the sweet potato and fruit themselves, with just a little sugar and butter for richness. The texture is soft enough for even the youngest children, and the bite-size shape is easy for small hands to pick up. It works as a side dish at lunch or as an afternoon snack.
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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
- 45 gJapanese sweet potato (satsumaimo)A purple-skinned, pale-yellow-fleshed sweet potato that is sweeter, drier, and fluffier than orange varieties. Substitute: Any sweet potato.
- 19.5 gbanana
Seasonings
- 0.9 gsugar
- 1.8 gunsalted butter
- 2.4 gskim milk powderMilk with the fat and water removed. Substitute: No skim milk powder? Leave it out and use milk in place of the water it is dissolved in, in the same amount (for example, 30 g skim milk powder + 130 g water becomes 130 g milk). Milk still contains milk, so this swap is not for a milk allergy.
- 12 gwater
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) (さつまいも)
- A purple-skinned, pale-yellow-fleshed sweet potato that is sweeter, drier, and fluffier than orange varieties. Substitute: Any sweet potato.
- skim milk powder (スキムミルク)
- Milk with the fat and water removed. Substitute: No skim milk powder? Leave it out and use milk in place of the water it is dissolved in, in the same amount (for example, 30 g skim milk powder + 130 g water becomes 130 g milk). Milk still contains milk, so this swap is not for a milk allergy.
Directions
- 1
Cut the sweet potato into thick half-moons. Soak the pieces in water to draw out any bitterness, then start them in cold water, bring to a boil, and boil for about 7 to 10 minutes after it comes to a boil.
- 2
Mash the sweet potato while it is still warm, then mix in the sugar, unsalted butter, and the skim milk powder dissolved in lukewarm water (adjust the amount of dissolved skim milk depending on how moist the sweet potato is).
- 3
Cut the banana into 1 cm dice.
- 4
Fold the banana into the sweet potato mixture. Wrap portions in plastic wrap and twist to shape into balls.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 100.5 kcal | 201 kcal | 100.5 kcal |
| Protein | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 1.8 g | 3.6 g | 1.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 21.6 g | 43.2 g | 21.6 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Calcium | 46.5 mg | 93 mg | 46.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 100.5 kcal | 1.5 g | 1.8 g | 21.6 g | 0.2 g | 46.5 mg | 0.3 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 201 kcal | 3 g | 3.6 g | 43.2 g | 0.3 g | 93 mg | 0.6 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.
Ingredients in this recipe
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