Coconut kaukau
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Coconut kaukau
Papua New Guinea became an independent Commonwealth realm in 1975. Sweet potatoes (kaukau) – one of the island’s most popular ingredients – star in this national dish
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
383Kcal
Fat
10gr
Saturates
8gr
Carbs
53gr
Sugars
18gr
Fibre
11gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.3gr
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Ingredients
- 40g desiccated coconut
- 150g coconut cream (from a carton)
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 300g each)
- 30g coconut oil
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- zest of ½ an orange, plus 2 tbsp juice
- handful of coriander leaves, roughly torn
- salad leaves, to serve
Step by step
- Combine the desiccated coconut and coconut cream in a bowl, cover and set aside until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Rinse and dry the sweet potatoes. Prick all over with a fork and wrap each one in foil. Place straight on the oven shelf and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until you can pierce them easily with a sharp knife.
- Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the flesh into a large bowl, leaving a shell about 1cm thick. Transfer the sweet potato shells to a lined baking tray. Add the coconut oil to the bowl of sweet potato and mash together, then add the coconut mixture, onion, ginger, garlic, orange juice and zest. Season and mix well.
- Fill the hollowed-out shells with the sweet potato mixture then bake for 10 minutes or until piping hot. You can also prep them a few hours ahead, cover and chill; reheat for 20-30 minutes from chilled, covering with foil if needed. Scatter with coriander and serve with a fresh green salad.
