Daigaku Imo is a very popular way of eating sweet potatoes in Japan. It is made by coating deep-fried sweet potatoes with caramelized syrup. Daigaku means university in Japanese and Imo means sweet potato. The name is derived from the fact that it was popular in college towns during the Taisho (1912-1926) and Showa (1926-1989) period. During the fall, many colleges have open campus festivals and Daigaku Imo is a popular dish sold by vendors.
Ingredients:
1 pound sweet potatoes, chopped in 1 inch sizes
Oil for deep-frying
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 tablespoon water
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4~1/2 thai hot pepper, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1. Heat the oil over low-medium heat and deep-fry the sweet potatoes. When the surface of the potatoes gets puffy, they are just done, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn it.
2. Place sugar, soy sauce, Thai hots and water in a small pot and dissolve the sugar over low heat stirring frequently until the liquid thickens. Add the deep-fried sweet potatoes and coat with the syrup. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
Serve as a side dish or as a snack! Hot or cold!
