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Japanese candied sweet potato "daigaku imo"

Japanese Candied Sweet Potato (Daigaku Imo)

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 portions

Ingredients 
 

  • 350 g Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) (satsumaimo)
  • water for soaking
  • 1 pinch salt
  • cooking oil for deep frying

Caramel

Instructions 

  • Wash 350 g Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) and gently rub the skin to remove any dirt.
    Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) on a white background
  • Cut off the ends, cut into 1.5cm (1/2 inch) slices and then cut each round into 3 sticks.
    Japanese sweet potato cut into sticks on a wooden chopping board
  • Place the sweet potato sticks in a bowl of cold water with 1 pinch salt and soak for 5 minutes.
    Pieces of Japanese sweet potato soaking in a glass bowl of water
  • Drain the water and dry the surface of each piece thoroughly with kitchen paper or a clean kitchen towel.
    Sticks of Japanese sweet potato drying on kitchen paper
  • Place the sticks of sweet potato in a pot and add cold cooking oil until completely submerged.
    Japanese sweet potato sticks in cold oil
  • Move the pot to the stove and turn on the heat on a medium setting. Cook the sweet potato until golden. (For thick pieces, pierce with a skewer to check it's soft inside.) From beginning to end, this usually takes about 15 minutes.
    Sweet potato frying in oil
  • Once golden, transfer to a wire rack and allow any excess oil to drain off.
    Deep fried Japanese sweet potato on a wire rack
  • Take a thick base saucepan and add 60 g white caster sugar, 1 ½ tbsp mirin, ½ tbsp water and ½ tsp unseasoned rice vinegar (komezu). Mix the ingredients together and place on the stove, heat on low.
    Sugar, mirin, water and rice vinegar mixed in a thick base saucepan
  • Keep mixing until the sugar is dissolved, make sure to stop mixing as soon as it starts bubbling.
    Caramel turning golden in a pan
  • When the caramel turns golden, dip a chopstick in it and submerge it into cold water, if the caramel goes hard then it's ready. (If it doesn't, heat for a little longer and keep testing every 30 seconds or so.)
    Hardened caramel on a chopstick submerged in water
  • Add the ½ tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and ½ tsp black sesame seeds, mix quickly and then add the sweet potato pieces. Turn off the heat.
    Adding soy sauce, black sesame seeds and sweet potato to caramel
  • Coat each piece in caramel and then transfer them to a non-stick surface. (Lightly greased baking paper or a silicone baking mat.) If the caramel starts to harden in the pan, heat on low until it softens again and then turn off the heat again to prevent burning.
    Repeat as many times as necessary until all of your sweet potato sticks are coated, then leave to cool for 5-10 minutes to allow the candy to fully harden.
    Daigaku imo set apart on a silicone baking mat
  • Enjoy!
    Japanese candied sweet potato "daigaku imo" fluffy inside

Notes

Best eaten the day it's made. Not suitable for refrigeration or freezing.
To make the candy, use a light colored pan with a thick base. This will heat more evenly and help you see when the caramel changes color. Using a wide pan will make it easier to coat the sweet potato too.
Avoid non-stick pans for this recipe, the high temperatures of oil and sugar can damage the coating.
Keep in a cool place, preferably in a sealed container. Warm or humid environments will make the candy melt.
Cleaning tip: Once you've finished coating the caramel, add hot water straight to the pan and leave it to soak to dissolve any hard candy sticking to the pan.