Homemade Sweet Potato Starch From Scratch
This recipe guides you through making sweet potato starch from scratch, a versatile ingredient used in Chinese cuisine for crispy coatings, velveting meats, and creating a 'QQ' texture in dishes like noodles, desserts, pancakes, and meatballs. The process involves washing, chopping, blending, and multiple rounds of washing and settling to extract the starch, followed by a long drying period. While time-consuming due to passive settling and drying, the active preparation is manageable. The recipe yields approximately 438g of coarse sweet potato starch from 3kg of sweet potatoes.
Ingredients2 items
Instructions
- 1
Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly and scrub off any mud. There is no need to peel them.
2:00 timer - 2
Use a knife to cut away any damaged or black areas from the sweet potatoes. Then, cut the sweet potatoes into smaller, manageable pieces.
5:00 timer - 3
Add the chopped sweet potatoes into a food processor. Pour in water to immerse about half of the sweet potatoes. Blend into a fine puree. Repeat this process in batches until all sweet potatoes are pureed, adding more water as needed.
15:00 timer - 4
Prepare a large container and line it with a big cheesecloth. Pour all the sweet potato puree into the cheesecloth.
1:00 timer - 5
Lift the cheesecloth, hold it tight, and rub the puree non-stop for 5-8 minutes to wash out the starch. Squeeze it firmly to extract as much liquid as possible. Collect the starch water into a separate big pot.
8:00 timer - 6
Open up the cheesecloth, add more water (2-3 liters), and stir well. Lift the edge of the cheesecloth again and continue to rub and squeeze the puree for another 5-8 minutes. Repeat this washing and squeezing process for a total of 5-6 rounds, combining all the starch water into large containers.
24:00 timer - 7
Let the collected starch water sit undisturbed for 3 hours to allow the starch to settle at the bottom of the containers.
3:00 timer - 8
Slowly and carefully pour off most of the liquid on the top, making sure to leave all the settled starch behind.
2:00 timer - 9
Loosen all the starch from the different containers and combine it into one big bowl. Add more water (about 1-2 liters) and stir well, ensuring all starch is lifted from the bottom. Cover the bowl and let it settle again in the refrigerator overnight (12-24 hours).
18:00 timer - 10
The next day, take the bowl out of the fridge. The water should be lighter. Carefully pour off the liquid again, leaving the clean starch behind.
2:00 timer - 11
Transfer the starch onto a cheesecloth placed on a dehydrator tray. Dry it in a dehydrator at 35°C for about 24 to 36 hours until fully dried. (Alternatively, sun-dry for 2-3 days until fully dried).
36:00 timer - 12
After about 10 hours of drying, break the drying starch into smaller chunks to speed up the drying process. Do not break it too fine to avoid it blowing around in the dehydrator.
5:00 timer - 13
Stir the starch occasionally to bring the bottom, still moist starch to the top, ensuring even drying. Continue drying until all pieces are crispy and sandy when crushed.
1:00 timer - 14
Once fully dried, crush the sweet potato starch by hand for a coarse texture, or grind it in a blender for a finer texture, depending on your preference.
5:00 timer - 15
Store the finished sweet potato starch in a sealed container for up to one year at room temperature. Avoid direct sunlight and moisture.
1:00 timer
Sign up to follow the full step-by-step instructions
Free, no card required.
Sign up freeAlready have an account? Log in