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Papua New Guinea Kaukau

Name: Papua New Guinea Kaukau
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3 lb orange or purple sweet potatoes; 1 cup coconut cream; 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional); 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional); 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional); Toasted coconut flakes, for garnish (optional)

Papua New Guinea kaukau recipe: caramelised sweet potatoes baked until golden and drenched in coconut cream. A simple, sweet island side dish from PNG.

⏱ 15 minPrep time

🔥 30 minCook time

🍽 4Servings

🏷 Papua New Guinea KitchenCategory

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Kaukau — Tok Pisin for sweet potato — is a staple of Papua New Guinea’s highlands, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. The simplest and most loved way to eat it is roasted whole in the mumu or oven until the sugars caramelise, then served with coconut cream.

The natural sweetness of the kaukau against rich, silky coconut is a perfect pairing, and the golden, jammy edges are the best part. It is the side dish that appears at almost every PNG meal.

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Step by stepInstructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scrub the sweet potatoes and cut into large chunks (or leave whole if small).
Place in a roasting pan and roast for 40-50 minutes, turning once, until caramelised at the edges and tender.
Meanwhile, gently warm the coconut cream with the sugar, salt, vanilla and cinnamon until the sugar dissolves; don't boil.
Arrange the sweet potatoes in a serving dish and pour the warm coconut cream over.
Serve immediately, with extra coconut cream on the side.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Roast the sweet potatoes cut-side down for deeper caramelisation. Purple kaukau is especially prized in PNG — try it if you can find it.

Recipe details

Prep15 min

Cook30 min

Servings4

CategoryPapua New Guinea Kitchen

PublishedAugust 17, 2026

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

Papua New Guinea Kaukau

Step by stepInstructions

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Papua New Guinea Kaukau

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

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