Satsuma Imo (Sweet Potatoes)

[Hiroyuki]

  WOW....you have the one i do!!!!! Thanks

Now...one more Q pls: is Marugoto common dessert In japanese?

Or is it an invention and only available at this shop? Or is it common in Otaru?

That type of sweet potato dessert is quite common all across Japan.

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I'm not sanrensho , and I must say that I'm not very familiar with that type. I mean, I know of it, but I haven't had it before. I can say that using skin as a container is not at all a novel idea; you can see the skins of persimmons, orange and other citrus fruits, kabocha, and other vegetables as containers. I don't think Marugoto sweet potato is a specialty of Otaru. It's only that Hokkaido is famous for its dairy products.

Of course, you can make marugoto sweet potato yourself.

A recipe is here.

http://cookpad.com/kabotin/recipe/280651/

(Sorry, Japanese only)

[iii_bake]

  WOW....you have the one i do!!!!! Thanks

Now...one more Q pls: is Marugoto common dessert In japanese?

Or is it an invention and only available at this shop? Or is it common in Otaru?

That type of sweet potato dessert is quite common all across Japan.

←

I'm not sanrensho , and I must say that I'm not very familiar with that type. I mean, I know of it, but I haven't had it before. I can say that using skin as a container is not at all a novel idea; you can see the skins of persimmons, orange and other citrus fruits, kabocha, and other vegetables as containers. I don't think Marugoto sweet potato is a specialty of Otaru. It's only that Hokkaido is famous for its dairy products.

Of course, you can make marugoto sweet potato yourself.

A recipe is here.

http://cookpad.com/kabotin/recipe/280651/

(Sorry, Japanese only)

←

Dear Hiroyuki,

You have killed me instantly letting me have the recipe in front o f me but cannot do a thing.

iii

Edited July 3, 2007 by iii_bake (log)

[sanrensho]

I'm not sanrensho , and I must say that I'm not very familiar with that type.  I mean, I know of it, but I haven't had it before.

I guess I should clarify. I haven't been to every part of Japan searching for that type of dessert. But I think that most Japanese would know of it.

A Google image search brings up pages and pages of such desserts.

http://images.google.ca/images?q=%E3%82%B9...m=1&sa=N&tab=wi

Edited July 3, 2007 by sanrensho (log)

[GlorifiedRice]

Sanrensho? I think Torakris posted HER recipe (rustic style) for "Sweet Potato" on this very thread and I have made them her way and they were delicious.

Its on the FIRST page of this thread...

TORAKRIS:

This is a very popular snack for kids-- whole satsumaimo are roasted then cut in half lengthwise, the insides are then scooped out leaving the skin intact. The insides are mixed with cream, butter, sugar and an egg yolk (cinnamon and vanilla are also sometimes added). It is usually pushed through a sieve to make it smooth and then it is placed bake in the skins and baked, it is often brushed with an egg yolk before cooking. Most people I know just call this snack 'sweet potato' but I am not sure if it has a real name of not. It is wonderful though.

She also had a pic once of her children making this snack is muffin tins and not the skins...

Edited July 3, 2007 by GlorifiedRice (log)

[Hiroyuki]

  WOW....you have the one i do!!!!! Thanks

Now...one more Q pls: is Marugoto common dessert In japanese?

Or is it an invention and only available at this shop? Or is it common in Otaru?

That type of sweet potato dessert is quite common all across Japan.

←

I'm not sanrensho , and I must say that I'm not very familiar with that type. I mean, I know of it, but I haven't had it before. I can say that using skin as a container is not at all a novel idea; you can see the skins of persimmons, orange and other citrus fruits, kabocha, and other vegetables as containers. I don't think Marugoto sweet potato is a specialty of Otaru. It's only that Hokkaido is famous for its dairy products.

Of course, you can make marugoto sweet potato yourself.

A recipe is here.

http://cookpad.com/kabotin/recipe/280651/

(Sorry, Japanese only)

←

Dear Hiroyuki,

You have killed me instantly letting me have the recipe in front o f me but cannot do a thing.

iii

←

As GlorifiedRice clarified, "sweet potato" is very easy to make.

Here's one recipe (for not a marugoto but a regular one) in English:

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/sweetpota...tpotatocake.htm

To make a marugoto one, simply scoop out the flesh carefully after cooking the potato in a steamer or in a microwave.

[Hiroyuki]

I'm not sanrensho , and I must say that I'm not very familiar with that type.  I mean, I know of it, but I haven't had it before.

I guess I should clarify. I haven't been to every part of Japan searching for that type of dessert. But I think that most Japanese would know of it.

A Google image search brings up pages and pages of such desserts.

http://images.google.ca/images?q=%E3%82%B9...m=1&sa=N&tab=wi

←

OK, sweets sold by the name of "sweet potato" are as popular as strawberry sponge cakes, mont blanc, and purin (Japanese custard pudding) in Japan, and it happens to be a favorite of my son's. It's only that I haven't had the marugoto type.

[iii_bake]

I'm not sanrensho , and I must say that I'm not very familiar with that type.  I mean, I know of it, but I haven't had it before.

I guess I should clarify. I haven't been to every part of Japan searching for that type of dessert. But I think that most Japanese would know of it.

A Google image search brings up pages and pages of such desserts.

http://images.google.ca/images?q=%E3%82%B9...m=1&sa=N&tab=wi

←

OK, sweets sold by the name of "sweet potato" are as popular as strawberry sponge cakes, mont blanc, and purin (Japanese custard pudding) in Japan, and it happens to be a favorite of my son's. It's only that I haven't had the marugoto type.

←

Will have it for breakfast again after tea yesterday.

I bought a piece 750 Gram ( half the potato) and keep on eating until finish.

It costs as much as pastries from Hediard ( the French shop)...

Thanks everyone for the info.

[shinju]

I'm not sanrensho , and I must say that I'm not very familiar with that type.  I mean, I know of it, but I haven't had it before.

I guess I should clarify. I haven't been to every part of Japan searching for that type of dessert. But I think that most Japanese would know of it.

A Google image search brings up pages and pages of such desserts.

http://images.google.ca/images?q=%E3%82%B9...m=1&sa=N&tab=wi

←

Wow, sweet overload. They look wonderful! These really remind me of sweet potato pudding that my friend told me her grandmother used to make in Carolina without the use of skin .

[GlorifiedRice]

http://nakuradl.fun.cx/other/pafeice2.html

I was scrolling thru those pics...Did ya look at these ?

YUMMY!

[Hiroyuki]

http://nakuradl.fun.cx/other/pafeice2.html

I was scrolling thru those pics...Did ya look at these ?

YUMMY!

←

But, only the first one, Sundae Cup Sweet Potato, is relevant to this thread...

[Dianabanana]

For simmering/ boiling I use the following quantities:

per 1 medium sized satumaimo

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

good pince of salt

cut them into large bite sized pieces with the skin on and soak in cold water for about 15 minutes. Drain, then place the sastumaimo, water, lemon juice, sugar and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover it, turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 (or so) minutes. These are really wonderful cold and go great in bentos.

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I made this before I went to bed and chilled them.

Yummy snack, Kristin.

I ate a few chunks with a sandwich (healthier then Chips)

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I am glad you enjoyed it, this is still one of my favorite foods. I now make it extra lemon-y by tossing in the the lemon half as well after squeezing it.

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I made this this morning for our bentos. So pretty with the yellow flesh and reddish-purple skins. Tastes great, too. Thank you!

[Dianabanana]

Yesterday for the first time I made satsumaimo takikomi gohan. [Choir of angels singing.] This is one of the most delicious things ever!

2 (rice cooker) c. rice

2 T sake

1 t salt

1 satsumaimo, diced

The SMELL coming out of my rice cooker was heavenly! We ate a bunch with dinner, then about an hour later I came into the kitchen and my husband was eating the last of it. I begged him for half of his bowl. "Oh my God, this is SO delicious!" I said. "I know," he said. "I added butter."

I made it again this morning and have had it for all three meals. This is definitely a new favorite.

[Dianabanana]

Yesterday for the first time I made satsumaimo takikomi gohan. [Choir of angels singing.] This is one of the most delicious things ever!

2 (rice cooker) c. rice

2 T sake

1 t salt

1 satsumaimo, diced

The SMELL coming out of my rice cooker was heavenly! We ate a bunch with dinner, then about an hour later I came into the kitchen and my husband was eating the last of it. I begged him for half of his bowl. "Oh my God, this is SO delicious!" I said. "I know," he said. "I added butter." 

I made it again this morning and have had it for all three meals. This is definitely a new favorite.

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My edit button is not showing, but I wanted to add this picture to my post above:

[Hiroyuki]

My edit button is not showing, but I wanted to add this picture to my post above:

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Beautiful! I like the simplicity of your recipe: sake and salt. But I still prefer kuri okowa (glutinous rice cooked with chestnuts)!

[Dianabanana]

I just realized that I forgot all about the concept of soaking the satsumaimo before cooking it when I made the takikomi gohan. Should I have soaked it for such a recipe?

[Hiroyuki]

I just realized that I forgot all about the concept of soaking the satsumaimo before cooking it when I made the takikomi gohan. Should I have soaked it for such a recipe?

←

Yes. One recipe says to soak it for 5 min. Another says to soak it for 10 min. or longer. Still another says to soak it for 20 min. with several changes of water!

As for the edit button, did you realize that the button disappears in a few days?

[Dianabanana]

I just realized that I forgot all about the concept of soaking the satsumaimo before cooking it when I made the takikomi gohan. Should I have soaked it for such a recipe?

←

Yes. One recipe says to soak it for 5 min. Another says to soak it for 10 min. or longer. Still another says to soak it for 20 min. with several changes of water!

As for the edit button, did you realize that the button disappears in a few days?

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No, I didn't realize that. Thank you.

I'm away from home right now but as soon as I get home I will make it again and soak this time. I can't wait to see if I notice the difference.

[iii_bake]

What does soaking do?

How does it help improving the dish??

Please enlighten me! Thnx

iii

Edited September 22, 2007 by iii_bake (log)

[Hiroyuki]

What does soaking do?

How does it help improving the dish??

Please enlighten me! Thnx

iii

←

Soaking in water is one type of aku nuki (harshness removal).

For more info, click here.

Note that different ingredients call for different methods for aku nuki.

Dianabanana, I don't want to disappoint you, but I don't think you could tell the difference.

[v. gautam]

I would be most grateful if anyone could point me towards the archaeological/ethnological studies about the earliest evidence of sweet potato cultivation in Japan.

Searched in the various Japan/ethnography/national museum categories but ultimately was unsuccessful for this particular subject. Migrations from Indonesian/New Guinea archipelago to South Japan pre-dating European contacts: one intriguing source of pre-Columbian sweet potato??? Any other parallel Melanesian+Polynesian contacts???

Are there genetic studies on the Japanese sweet potato germplasm compared to the South American, the center of origin? I do know that the CGIAR Institute, CIP, Lima, Peru, is woefully underfunded . Therefore, this nodal institution is unable to respond to such key issues.

From what I have been able to glean, Ipomea batatas is native to South America and domesticated there. There may be some few wild relatives in South east Asia. Perhaps Helen-san's botanist students may be able to clarify this issue?

The earliest verified evidence for sweet potato outside it South American origin comes from the Marquesas islands in 300 C.E.

The "Polynesians" are believed to have originated somewhere near Taiwan, not too far from Japan. Their movements across the Pacific are interesting because two very important food plants seem to have been carried in a counter-current fashion: Colocasia/taro from the Indian coast across the Pacific, and the sweet potato the reverse way.

I include beloww some notes that may be of interest.

Thanking you,

Gautam.

"It’s also possible that the sweet potato reached Polynesia without human influence. The plant lacks uniform or distinct forms characteristic of other human introductions and some researchers have noted that, because the Ipomoea species are strand plants, they could be distributed by sea. Sweet potato capsules float in water and the seeds, which have an almost impervious outer covering, eventually germinate after emersion in sea water.

Carbonized sweet potato found in the Cook Islands has been radiocarbon dated to around 1000 CE, so at the very least it’s arrival preceded this date. One of the world’s foremost authorities on the sweet potato in Oceania (Douglas Yen) notes that the area covered by the Marquesas to the Society Islands constitutes the most likely gateway to Polynesia for the sweet potato and that there may have been as many as three different introductions of the plant.

He goes on to speculate that possible contact between the Marquesas and Easter Island implies that the sweet potato must have been introduced at or earlier than the 9th century CE. The equivalent time-frame for introduction of the sweet potato to the Marquesas is 300-600 CE,"

Clarke, William C.

The Sweet Potato in Oceania: A Reappraisal (review)

The Contemporary Pacific - Volume 19, Number 1, Spring 2007, pp. 318-322

Introduction of Taro into the Pacific: The Indications of the Chromosome Numbers

Douglas E. Yen, Jocelyn M. Wheeler

Ethnology, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul., 1968), pp. 259-267

doi:10.2307/3772891

This article consists of 9 page(s).

Yen, Douglas

The Sweet Potato and Oceania - Bishop Museum Bulletin 236, 1974

[Hiroyuki]

the archaeological/ethnological studies about the earliest evidence of sweet potato cultivation in Japan.

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I hope that Helen's students can provide some insight into this subject.

A bit of information can be found here and here.

[Ce'nedra]

I really love Asian sweet potato chips...*drool*

[jedi_pocky]

ive been reading and looking at pictures of all the yummy yaki-imo pictures, so today i asked my helper to buy some satsumaimo from isetan in town (im from singapore)

7 of these cost $13 SGD which is about 960 yen!!!!!!! argh! I shall savour each and every one.

but shit happened. i nuked the first one for 6 minutes and it turned rock hard. like i hit it against the wall and i swear it could give someone a concussion. but still, for what i paid, i ate it anyway (at risk of breaking my teeth)

delish.

im onto my next one. im a happy girl