Candied Sweet Potato (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】大学芋 · Daigaku Imo
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Daigaku imo is one of Japan's best-loved sweet potato snacks: chunks of satsumaimo are fried until crisp on the outside, then coated in a glossy glaze of sugar and soy sauce and finished with black sesame seeds. The name literally means "university potato," and it is usually said to have earned it as a cheap, filling treat popular with university students in Tokyo. Children love the contrast of the crackly sweet coating and the soft, fluffy potato inside, and it shows up regularly as an afternoon snack in school lunch programs. A splash of vinegar in the glaze is the little trick that keeps the pieces from sticking together on the plate.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 81 gJapanese sweet potato (satsumaimo)A purple-skinned, pale-yellow-fleshed sweet potato that is sweeter, drier, and fluffier than orange varieties. Substitute: Any sweet potato.
- 7.4 gwater
Seasonings
- 8.9 gvegetable oil
- 7.4 gsugar
- 0.3 gsoy sauce
- 0.3 gvinegar
- 0.5 gblack sesame seeds
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) (さつまいも)
- A purple-skinned, pale-yellow-fleshed sweet potato that is sweeter, drier, and fluffier than orange varieties. Substitute: Any sweet potato.
Directions
- 1
Cut the sweet potato into small irregular chunks (rangiri) and soak in water for 10 minutes to draw out the harshness.
- 2
Drain in a colander and, while the surfaces are still wet, transfer to a microwave-safe dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave at 1200W for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, until a toothpick slides in easily. Pat dry.
- 3
Heat the oil to 180°C (350°F) and deep-fry the sweet potato for about 5 minutes, until the surfaces are crisp.
- 4
In a separate pot, combine the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring, until lightly thickened. Add the sweet potato and toss over low heat until coated.
- 5
Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
Note: Adding vinegar keeps the finished daigaku imo from sticking together, which makes it easier to eat.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 214.2 kcal | 428.4 kcal | 214.2 kcal |
| Protein | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Fat | 9.6 g | 19.2 g | 9.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34.3 g | 68.7 g | 34.3 g |
| Fiber | 2.3 g | 4.5 g | 2.3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Calcium | 38.8 mg | 77.7 mg | 38.8 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 311.9 mg | 623.7 mg | 311.9 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 214.2 kcal | 0.8 g | 9.6 g | 34.3 g | 2.3 g | 0.2 g | 38.8 mg | 0.3 mg | 311.9 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 428.4 kcal | 1.5 g | 19.2 g | 68.7 g | 4.5 g | 0.3 g | 77.7 mg | 0.6 mg | 623.7 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
This is the elementary-school portion of Daigaku Imo (Candied Sweet Potato) (larger quantities, same method).
