Daigaku-imo literally translates to "University of Potato".
Why do Japanese call it like that?
Well, in the old days, sweet potato merchants would sell the candied sweet potato to the university students in Tokyo. It is said that the merchant, "Mikawaya" became popular among students when they started selling by University of Tokyo.
Nowadays, it is popular not just among students, but also among all people in Japan. I myself loved to enjoy it in the autumn season. it is such a healthy snack yet very addicting sweetness!
Here is the recipe;
Ingredients:
- Sweet Potato ... 3-5 pieces
- Sugar ... 2 tbsp
- Soy Sauce ... 1 tbsp
- Mirin ... 2 tbsp
- Salt ... some
- Black Sesame ... some
Steps:
- Wash sweet potato with water, cut into small pieces, and leave in water for 5 minutes.
- Place sweet potato on a heat-resistant plate, cover with a plastic wrap and heat in a microwave for 5 minutes. *it will be come more yellow.
- Remove water with a paper towel. Then, fry for 5 minutes. *since it's heated in a microwave already, you don't have to deep-fry it too much.
- Turn off the heat and remove oil from sweet potato with a paper towel.
- Prepare sauce by mixing Sugar, Soy Sauce, Mirin, and Salt.
- In a pan, add fried sweet potato and sauce. Let them mix well for little. *be careful it doesn't get burnt.
- Turn off the heat and finally top some black sesame. *make sure to pour water in the pan so that the left-over sauce doesn't get attached.
The photo was taken by one of our staffs. Her 2 kids also loved it!
