Derived from purple sweet potatoes this is a finely milled powder akin to matcha in its powder texture. It is a lilac purple hue, which can vary in intensity depending on the amount used and the medium in which it's mixed.
Owing to the powder's generally smooth inconsistency and easy solubility, allows purple sweet potato powder to work well as a natural food coloring in confectionary arts. Due to its vibrant hue, it can impart a fun shade of purple to cakes, pastries, frostings, and candies without the need for artificial dyes. Note: when used as a coloring agent it also adds a slight nuanced flavor, so be sure to test first and balance the vibrancy of the hue with the flavor when deciding how much you want to add.
The pigments responsible for its color are known as anthocyanins.
INGREDIENTS
Purple Sweet Potato
TASTING NOTES
Earthy sweetness with a starchy nuance
AROMA
Faintly earthy with a hint of natural tuber essence.
CHARACTERISTICS
Deep, rich purple with violet undertones
STORAGE TIPS
Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, in an airtight container
PAIRINGS
Complements berries, nuts, spices, and creamy textures
SUBSTITUTIONS
Beet powder for color; Taro powder or yam powder for a similar starchy sweetness in flavor
USAGE
Versatile coloring and flavoring for both sweet and savory dishes
BOTANICAL NAME
Ipomoea batatas Lam
You can add more powder to increase the color or let the color develop by letting your mixture sit. Anthocyanin-based colors are generally quite stable over time, but they can fade or change under certain conditions. For example, exposure to heat and light can cause the color to fade, while changes in pH can cause the color to shift (anthocyanins can appear red in acidic conditions and green-blue in alkaline conditions).
Purple sweet potatoes, also known as Okinawan sweet potatoes, originally hail from the islands of Okinawa in Japan.
