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Japanese-Style Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Sesame

Japanese-Style Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Sesame

By Courtney HillSeptember 30, 2021

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    25 minutes
  • Rating

Candied sweet potatoes, or daigaku imo, a favorite Japanese snack, inspired this recipe. To make daigaku imo, chunks of Japanese sweet potatoes, or satsuma imo, are deep-fried then coated in a syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds. To make a side dish out of a snack, we simmer the potatoes in a skillet with water and seasonings, then cook off the moisture at the end, leaving the potatoes coated with a savory-sweet glaze. Common orange-fleshed sweet potatoes work in this recipe, but use Japanese sweet potatoes if you can find them. They have dry, starchy flesh and a sweet, chestnut-like flavor. If you like, garnish the potatoes with sliced scallions, shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice blend) or chopped fresh chilies.

Tip

Don’t raise the heat above medium while the potatoes cook covered. A moderately low temperature helps ensure even cooking without scorching. Also, sweet potatoes vary in water content depending on the variety. If you find that the moisture in the pan is gone before the potatoes are tender, just add a tablespoon or two of water as needed and continue cooking.

Ingredients
  • 2

    tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

  • ¼

    cup white sugar

  • 1

    tablespoon soy sauce

  • 2

    teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar

  • 1

    teaspoon toasted sesame oil

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 2

    12-ounce orange-fleshed sweet potatoes or Japanese sweet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1½-inch pieces

  • 2

    teaspoons white or black sesame seeds or a combination, toasted

Step 1

In a 12-inch skillet, combine ½ cup water, the neutral oil, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, then stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add the sweet potatoes and stir to coat. Cover the pan and cook over medium, stirring and turning the potatoes about every 4 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the largest piece meets no resistance, 16 to 20 minutes. If the skillet looks dry before the potatoes are tender, add 1 or 2 tablespoons water as needed and continue cooking.

Step 2

Uncover, increase to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until the potatoes are glazed and sizzling, about 2 minutes.

Off heat, toss in the sesame seeds, then taste and season with salt and pepper.

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