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Satsuma Imo (Sweet Potatoes)

Hiroyuki

By Hiroyuki
in Japan: Cooking & Baking

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_john

_john

Posted
Posted

I love Japanese sweet potatoes. I buy the slender long ones. To cook them I usually wash them and while they are still wet I sprinkle them generously with salt and rub them together to scratch up the skin. Then I toss them in the toaster oven for about 15 minutes. They are great this way, salty, crispy skin and sweet starchy flesh. Good Japanese sweet potatoes taste like chestnuts. I eat them about once a week because they are so inexpensive. 150yen for a bag of five good sized sweet potatoes!

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
I love Japanese sweet potatoes. I buy the slender long ones. To cook them I usually wash them and while they are still wet I sprinkle them generously with salt and rub them together to scratch up the skin. Then I toss them in the toaster oven for about 15 minutes. They are great this way, salty, crispy skin and sweet starchy flesh. Good Japanese sweet potatoes taste like chestnuts. I eat them about once a week because they are so inexpensive. 150yen for a bag of five good sized sweet potatoes!

So, you mean you usually buy the variety beni azuma (紅あずま)?

The variety that tastes like chestnuts is kintoki (金時), right? I sometimes buy it, but it's usually much more expensive than beni azuma.

My blog
GlorifiedRice

GlorifiedRice

Posted
Posted
So, you mean you usually buy the variety beni azuma (紅あずま)?

The variety that tastes like chestnuts is kintoki (金時), right?  I sometimes buy it, but it's usually much more expensive than beni azuma.

Just so you can see the price of things here in the Philadelphia Area I scanned some of my reciepts the past month...

http://i15.tinypic.com/2ed85rn.jpg

Wawa Sizzli FTW!

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
So, you mean you usually buy the variety beni azuma (紅あずま)?

The variety that tastes like chestnuts is kintoki (金時), right?  I sometimes buy it, but it's usually much more expensive than beni azuma.

Just so you can see the price of things here in the Philadelphia Area I scanned some of my reciepts the past month...

http://i15.tinypic.com/2ed85rn.jpg

:laugh::laugh:

But don't expect me to do the same thing. :raz::biggrin: I'll provide some info about the prices of satsumaimo here in Japan later.

My blog
Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Just came back from a trip to the supermarket.

Kintoki (金時), 2L size, 158 yen per piece (not bag):

gallery_16375_5_79531.jpg

Other varieties are more expensive, 398 yen per bag:

gallery_16375_5_41802.jpg

Beni azuma (紅あずま or 紅東) is the cheapest, 158 yen per bag of three:

gallery_16375_5_10426.jpg

Beni azuma, sold individually, 78 yen per piece:

gallery_16375_5_93928.jpg

Now you can see that Kintoki is two to three times more expensive than Beni azuma.

My blog
_john

_john

Posted
Posted

I didn't know there were two types! your supermarket has quite a few varieties hiroyuki. Do they always have to many or is because of the "sweet potato fair" they are having? I must be buying the beni azuma type. I was inspired by this thread and bought some sweet potatoes today on my way home. I also bought two giant cabbages, 100yen for 2!

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
I didn't know there were two types! your supermarket has quite a few varieties hiroyuki. Do they always have to many or is because of the "sweet potato fair" they are having? I must be buying the beni azuma type. I was inspired by this thread and bought some sweet potatoes today on my way home. I also bought two giant cabbages, 100yen for 2!

I'm not sure because this supermarket opened October this year, but I think that's because of the "fair". I think most supermarkets in Japan usually carry the two types, Beni azuma and Kintoki.

Beni azuma: Cheaper

Kintoki: Expensive but tastes better. They say Kintoki tastes better than chestnusts. :biggrin:

My blog
torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted

NOTE:

I have merged the two satsumaimo threads. :biggrin:

Most of the supermarkets near my house sell the two types (beni-azuma and kintoki) all the time and at similar prices to what Hiroyuki showed. I always buy the bags of beni-azuma as they are much cheaper. The taste can be hit or miss, sometimes they are incredibly sweet and sometimes they have no flavor at all...

During satsumaimo season some of the supermarkets stock a couple other varieties, including orange flesh ones and the purple Okinawan ones.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

miladyinsanity

miladyinsanity

Posted
Posted

I love the purple Okinawan sweet potatoes. I talk my mother into buying them for me during the season. Expensive though.

I prefer to bake them, because I like it dry and starchy. I have to try _john's method, with salt.

I sometimes make something similar to daigaku-imo, but with yam (the white-fleshed kind). I've tried it with sweet potatoes, but I think it's better with yam.

May

Totally More-ish: The New and Improved Foodblog

GlorifiedRice

GlorifiedRice

Posted
Posted
I love the purple Okinawan sweet potatoes. I talk my mother into buying them for me during the season. Expensive though.

I prefer to bake them, because I like it dry and starchy. I have to try _john's method, with salt.

I sometimes make something similar to daigaku-imo, but with yam (the white-fleshed kind). I've tried it with sweet potatoes, but I think it's better with yam.

I made Mochi once with the Purple Okinawans...

MMMMM, too good and spectacular color.

Wawa Sizzli FTW!

Tyler D

Tyler D

Posted
Posted

The satsumaimo reminded me of the Boniato potato I can find in Florida and the purple kind are Okinawa Sweet potatoes I think, at least what we call them. I will have to try the stir fryed sataumaimo sounds good.

GlorifiedRice

GlorifiedRice

Posted
Posted

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.

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)

Wawa Sizzli FTW!

torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted

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.

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)

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

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Seitch

Seitch

Posted
Posted
Do satsumaimo taste different from standard American sweet potatoes?

Amy

American sweet potatoes are orange and tend to be more watery and softer in texture. The satsumaimo have a drier, very smooth and fine starchy texture. They're also sweeter as well.

  • 2 weeks later...
GlorifiedRice

GlorifiedRice

Posted
Posted

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

Kristin I just love these!

A few chunks with anything is a welcome addition.

Is this your personal recipe?

Yesterday I made more, but forgot to soak em first, they taste the same.

Whats up with the soaking first?

I added more lemon, yum!

I take it you are a sour fan...

I am a huge lemon fan. I supreme lemons and add little bits of pure lemon to my tuna salad.

Wawa Sizzli FTW!

torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted

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

Kristin I just love these!

A few chunks with anything is a welcome addition.

Is this your personal recipe?

Yesterday I made more, but forgot to soak em first, they taste the same.

Whats up with the soaking first?

I added more lemon, yum!

I take it you are a sour fan...

I am a huge lemon fan. I supreme lemons and add little bits of pure lemon to my tuna salad.

I love sour foods!

I guess this a personal recipe, I got th idea from a magazine but have simplified it a bit. I am not sure about the soaking and taste, everything that uses satsumaimo always says to soak them for at least 15 minutes so I always do. I have had some that brown almost instantly on cutting, but usually it is fine.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Even a lazy cook like me does the soaking before deep-fyring (tempura-ing). That's one type of aku nuki (harshness removal). Otherwise the satsumaimo would change in color at the cut end. But I usually soak them for shorter times, say, 5 to 10 minutes.

My blog
  • 6 months later...
iii_bake

iii_bake

Posted
Posted

I just had baked sweet potato from Otaru Hokkaido.

It its like having custard on the top of the splitted and flattened potato....

Can anyone give me the idea what actually it is? and what is it called in Japanese?

Thank you :rolleyes:

iiii

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
I just had baked sweet potato from Otaru Hokkaido.

It its like having custard on the top of the splitted  and flattened potato....

Can anyone give me the idea what actually it is? and what is it called in Japanese?

Thank you :rolleyes:

iiii

I'm not sure. Do any of the photos in the following links look similar?

Marugoto (= whole) sweet potatoes (second and third photos)

http://shop.gnavi.co.jp/Mall2/305/101816.html

Kawa tsuki (= skin on) sweet potato

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/kitanoyorimichi/881157/881161/

My blog
iii_bake

iii_bake

Posted
Posted
I just had baked sweet potato from Otaru Hokkaido.

It its like having custard on the top of the splitted  and flattened potato....

Can anyone give me the idea what actually it is? and what is it called in Japanese?

Thank you :rolleyes:

iiii

I'm not sure. Do any of the photos in the following links look similar?

Marugoto (= whole) sweet potatoes (second and third photos)

http://shop.gnavi.co.jp/Mall2/305/101816.html

Kawa tsuki (= skin on) sweet potato

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/kitanoyorimichi/881157/881161/

Yes!!!!!

I just took a picture of mine but the pciture u have is the one i am referring to.

I went back to the shop, it jsut a Hokkaido promotion week...and the chef said it is called Marugoto.

Can you enlighten me more on both the MArugoto and the Kawatsuki?

The marugoto is such a comforting dessert, i love it.

Thank you for the www link.

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
I just had baked sweet potato from Otaru Hokkaido.

It its like having custard on the top of the splitted  and flattened potato....

Can anyone give me the idea what actually it is? and what is it called in Japanese?

Thank you :rolleyes:

iiii

I'm not sure. Do any of the photos in the following links look similar?

Marugoto (= whole) sweet potatoes (second and third photos)

http://shop.gnavi.co.jp/Mall2/305/101816.html

Kawa tsuki (= skin on) sweet potato

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/kitanoyorimichi/881157/881161/

Yes!!!!!

I just took a picture of mine but the pciture u have is the one i am referring to.

I went back to the shop, it jsut a Hokkaido promotion week...and the chef said it is called Marugoto.

Can you enlighten me more on both the MArugoto and the Kawatsuki?

The marugoto is such a comforting dessert, i love it.

Thank you for the www link.

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with either, but I think I found the right one:

http://yaplog.jp/haruhime-d/archive/611

The product name is Otaru no Marugoto Potato.

It does look familiar to you, doesn't it?

I also found the website of the manufacturer:

http://www.umaibeya.com/sweethouse/sy_hyo.html

My blog
iii_bake

iii_bake

Posted
Posted
I just had baked sweet potato from Otaru Hokkaido.

It its like having custard on the top of the splitted  and flattened potato....

Can anyone give me the idea what actually it is? and what is it called in Japanese?

Thank you :rolleyes:

iiii

I'm not sure. Do any of the photos in the following links look similar?

Marugoto (= whole) sweet potatoes (second and third photos)

http://shop.gnavi.co.jp/Mall2/305/101816.html

Kawa tsuki (= skin on) sweet potato

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/kitanoyorimichi/881157/881161/

Yes!!!!!

I just took a picture of mine but the pciture u have is the one i am referring to.

I went back to the shop, it jsut a Hokkaido promotion week...and the chef said it is called Marugoto.

Can you enlighten me more on both the MArugoto and the Kawatsuki?

The marugoto is such a comforting dessert, i love it.

Thank you for the www link.

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with either, but I think I found the right one:

http://yaplog.jp/haruhime-d/archive/611

The product name is Otaru no Marugoto Potato.

It does look familiar to you, doesn't it?

I also found the website of the manufacturer:

http://www.umaibeya.com/sweethouse/sy_hyo.html

:smile: 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?

Oh oh...three Qs actually.

Thanks

iii :smile:

sanrensho

sanrensho

Posted
Posted
  :smile: 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.

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
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