Ko’elepalau or ko’ele palau is a sweet Hawaiian dish of mashed sweet potato and coconut cream. The origin of the name is unclear, but it possibly refers to mashed pudding originally made from yam.

Many varieties of sweet potato(‘uala) and yam(uhi) were grown anciently by Hawaiians, and both will work well for this dish. White or purple sweet potato works best(rather than orange), and these are probably more similar to the ancient varieties brought by early Hawaiian settlers. Okinawa purple sweet potato or even ube can be used for striking purple results.

Ko’elepalau is pretty simply to make; just roast or steam the sweet potato and mash with coconut cream and a pinch of salt. Sweet potatoes vary widely in flavor, so adjust accordingly. Sugar can be added if it isn’t sweet enough; sugarcane is even a traditional crop of Hawaii. There is little information about this dish available, but some sources hint that it may have been eaten with some kind of spoon called ki’o’e palau.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potato(‘uala) or yam(uhi) (purple or white flesh best)
• ½ cup coconut cream(wai niu)
• ½ tsp sea salt(pa’akai) (optional)
• 1 tbsp muscovado sugar (optional)

Method

• roast or steam sweet potato until softened
• peel
• mash hot sweet potato, coconut cream, salt, sugar
• serve fresh or chilled