Purple Sweet Potato Paste 紫薯餡

Making homemade filling has been a breeze ever since I purchased my electric pressure cooker. I used to cook the beans and lotus seeds in my rice cooker and prepare sweet potatoes either by roasting or steaming. With those you need to frequently watch for the water level and make sure that there is no massive foam swells. Steaming sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot is pretty easy. All I do is to add a cup of tap water and arrange the sweet potato cubes on the steaming trivet. After pressing a few buttons then my potatoes will all be soft and tender in a short period of time. Unlike red bean paste, lotus seed paste and chestnut paste, there is no need to reduce the liquid by cooking in a wok or skillet while preparing purple sweet potato paste. Just stir in the remaining ingredients and mash them while the sweet potatoes are still hot. For silky smooth texture you will need to pass the paste through a sieve. This extra step takes a bit of time and effort but it’s all worth it.
自從購買了電子壓力煲之後，煮餡真的方便了很多。EC以往使用電飯煲煮豆及蓮子等材料，蕃薯則是蒸的或烤的。煮的時候要常常觀察水量，有時更弄至泡沫全湧出來。轉用Instant Pot後簡直易如反掌，把食材切塊後放在蒸架上，加一杯水按幾下鍵即可悠哉悠哉的坐着等，時間一到紫薯便給蒸得軟軟的，完全是懶人福音！紅豆餡、栗子餡、蓮蓉餡等餡料煮好後還要在鍋中炒乾，但紫薯餡則完全不用炒，蒸熟紫薯後趁熱拌入其餘材料壓成泥即可，若肯花點臂力及時間過篩可令餡料倍添幼滑。功夫是多了點，但絕對值得！

Below is the ingredients I use for my purple sweet potato paste in percentages. After weighing the cooked purple sweet potatoes, all other ingredients can be easily calculated.
以下是EC使用的材料百分比，只要量好熟紫薯重量便可依比率計算出其他材料所需份量。

Cooked purple sweet potato 已蒸熟紫薯 100%
Demerara sugar 原蔗糖 12 – 15%
Unsalted butter 無鹽牛油 10%
Maltose 麥芽糖 5%

Purple Sweet Potato Paste
紫薯餡

Makes about 500 g
成品約500克

Ingredients

400 g purple sweet potato, peeled and cooked
48 to 60 g demerara sugar
40 g unsalted butter
20 g maltose

材料

紫薯 (已去皮蒸熟) 400克
原蔗糖 48至60克
無鹽牛油 40克
麥芽糖 20克

Directions 做法

Wash, peel and cube the purple sweet potatoes. Place 1 cup of water and the steaming trivet in the pressure cooker then lay the sweet potatoes on top. Close the lid and choose the steaming function and cook for 7 minutes. Remove the lid carefully after a 10 minutes of natural release. Cook by steaming: cut peeled purple sweet potatoes into chunks or slices and steam for 15 to 20 minutes until tender and soft.
紫薯洗淨去皮切塊，電子壓力鍋內放一杯水及蒸架，加入紫薯塊，選擇蒸模式按7分鐘，完成後自然降壓10分鐘排氣。(沒有電子壓力煲則可將已去皮的紫薯切片或切粒然後隔水蒸15至20分鐘至軟)

Transfer sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl and add in sugar. Mash with a spoon until sugar is dissolved, adding more of less sugar according to taste. Stir in butter and maltose until incorporated.
取出紫薯放入大碗中，趁熱加入糖拌匀並壓成泥(糖量可依紫薯甜度並個人口味自行增減)，加入牛油和麥芽糖拌至順滑。

Pass mixture through a sieve for a smoother texture (it will be a great workout for your arms). Store purple sweet potato paste in an airtight container and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top to prevent condensation. Cover and chill before use.
將紫薯餡壓過篩增加幼滑口感(這是很好的手部運動) ，把紫薯餡放在密封盒，以保鮮紙緊貼紫薯表面防止倒汗水，蓋好冷藏後可使用。