Candied sweet potatoes (called “Daigaku Imo”) are popular food in Japan. “Daigaku” means University and its name originated from the fact that it was popularly eaten among university students in late 1800s to early 1900s. Most people in Japan were poor in those days, and for them sweet potatoes were important food as well as snack to enjoy sweets.

Even now, sweet potatoes are widely eaten among all ages for its high nutrition and healthiness.

Today we are going to tell you a recipe of Daigaku Imo.

Ingredients (2-3 servings)

• 3 sweet potatoes (medium size)
• (A) 80 g of honey
• (A) 1 tbsp of sugar
• (A) 1 tbsp of water
• (A) A pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp of black sesame

How to Cook

1. Remove harshness from potatoes

Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and soak them in sufficient water for about 15 minutes. This prevents discoloration.

You don’t need to peel the skin, but rub the surface with a scourer to remove dirt and pull fibrous roots away.

2.Wipe Off Water

さAfter removing harshness from the sweet potatoes, drain them using a strainer and wipe off water with kitchen towel.

3.Deep-fry

Heat the oil in the pan to 170℃ and deep-fry the sweet potatoes. This time we use a wok. Wok is useful as it can be used for not only stir-frying but also deep-frying and steaming.

Wait for about 5 minutes until the sweet potatoes are well-cooked, and turn the heat up to increase oil temperature to about 180℃. When the surface turns slightly golden brown and gets crispy, move the sweet potatoes to a tray.

4.Mix with Honey Sauce

After draining oil from the sweet potatoes, mix them with honey. To make honey sauce, put the ingredients marked with (A) above into the pan to boil. Mix the sweet potatoes with the honey sauce and sprinkle black sesame as you like.

Summary

Sweetness and Crispiness are the key attraction of Daigaku Imo. It is important to cook sweet potatoes enough until the inside becomes soft. If you are not sure, check it while deep-frying the sweet potatoes with a stick. If it goes inside smoothly, the sweet potatoes are ready. If not, continue heating a little more.

Let’s enjoy cooking Daigaku Imo at homer, which has been loved in Japan, especially among university students.