When guests come to visit us, I usually get excited. I start to go through my mind, thinking what treats I could try serving my unsuspecting companionship. My husband tends to get nervous at this times. He is normally my testing bunny these days, if he doesn’t like something then I better leave it or improve it.
So in my mind I had decided on a little “impress me” snack, caramelized sweet Potatoes aka Daigaku Imo. Why was my husband nervous? Because the visitors were some business friends of his and mostly I guess because he hadn’t had a test drive on that one. While it was cooking he came to peek and I randomly thought I ll mention that it is a Japanese snack. He looked at me full terror in his eyes and begged me not to come up with some raw fish. Well.. I guess he was lucky with that one. 
Anyway, one day I ll teach him how wonderful Japanese food is. I myself wish I knew more about all those wonderful flavours they cook with and the gorgeous unique way of presenting food. Everything they do is perfect and full of details and sometimes I would call it brilliant too. Unluckily certain ingredients are 98% of the time impossible to obtain, especially fresh foods, so when I discover a great recipe I tend to just stare at the picture and think “da**! I wish I could try that now. At least time to time I score some sweet potatoes and I am able to perform some japanize foodie style magic.
So,… our visitors looked scepticaly at the funny named snack on the table. Not sure what to think off those glossy brown potatoe pieces. In thse situation, I tend to act like as if I was busy with something else and then I wait, anticipating a reaction, observing from my eye corner, trying to read the first bite in the face of my innocent test person. What an adrenalin kick I tell you,… seconds seem like ages! The relieve came when one of the 2 attacked more,… and then some more…
The 4 of us finnished 2 plates of Daigaku Imo and in addition to that our visitors played with a thought of trying it out in their restaurant. I didnt give them the recipe, for that they ll have to come here, and check out my blog. XD
For those of you who love japanese food I can recommend you all, Namis wonderul japanese themed foodie blog, “Just one Cookbook”. Click on the button to visit her blog.
The red skin of the potatoes will give the dish a certain design together with the brown gorgeous glaze and the little sesame dots on the Daigaku Imo
Ingredients
- 1 l Deep frying Oil
- 3 medium Sweet Poato - preferably with red skin
- 3 Tbs light honey
- 1 1/2 Tsp Soy sauce
- 5 Tbs white sugar
- Sesame Seeds - preferably black ( I had only white ones)
- thick Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a Frying pan dry fry the Sesame seeds with the Salt till they start to get a light brown colore and they pop up. Keep aside
- Heat the oil for Deep frying. Scrub the Sweet Potatoes well and cut them into bite size chunks ( don't peel the skin!). Once the oil is hot enough add in the Potato chunks.
- In the mean while, grab a frying pan and add into it all the mentioned above ingredients for the caramelization. Keep it all on low fire and mix and stir all the ingredients well till it gets thicker.
- The potatoes should be finnished cooked now, you can see that if they are swimming on top of the oil pan. Take them out and directly add them into the caramel combination. Mix it all well as long as it is still hot. Once it all cooles down it will get sticky hard. Just before that happens, sprinkle some of the toasted sesame salt on top to garnish.
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m totally in love with these. If there’s anything I’d love more than sweet potatoes…it’s CARAMELIZED sweet potatoes!
Yummy yummy yummy!! Looks beautiful and sounds delicious! Will need to try these soon! Do you think I could make them with normal potatoes though? While I LOVE sweet potatoes, my hubby isn’t a big fan of them
But he likes sweet ingredients like teriyaki sauce or orange glazes, etc. Thanks for sharing!
hm I am not sure. You can try it out though. but I suggest getting the harder ones, not the sandy ones. let me know how it worked out!
Actually these do sound like a fun appetizer, and something unique:-) I like the idea of a caramelized potato, Yum! Hugs, Terra
I am definitely going to make these I have the ingredients in my kitchen right now. This looks and sounds fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe, I love it.
Hehe I feel the same way when I know I have guests coming over-excited! And these potatoes look wonderful-love the glaze on them!
Loved this sweet treat! The way you photographed the dish makes it so droolworthy! This looks like something I must try out. http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com
enjoy a good recipe for potato
This is a very unique way to serve sweet potatoes! Glad to pop in and see this. I am just imaging the crisp potato and that sweet carmel-yum. Your husband obviously had nothing to worry about. Have a great day!
What a great recipe for sweet potato. I just love this vegetable. It’s so full of flavour and so versatile. Love your images – they make your recipe so inviting.
What a delicious looking dish! I really love the idea.
Cheers,
Rosa
Your potatoes sound terrific! I think that with some guests it’s better not to mention the origins of the dish nor the content. Some people have such strong sterotypical views of certain cuisines (or of their likes/dislikes) it’s really funny to observe how they adore for example beef cheeks and take second helpings (they wouldn’t even taste them if they knew!).
Nami’s blog is certainly a wonderful source of Japanese recipes. I am a big fan too!
I hope you will be able to buy certain products at least through internet although fresh ones, needing special packages might be difficult to order…
haha reading through your comment, I just remember a story. my husband had gonne to dubai and his friend convinced him to go to a place where they served tasty omletts. It was tasty he said but it had a weird texture. he figuered out later that it was goat brain. I dont think so he ll have it so soon. but what u r saying sissi, is correct. often we love a dish when we dont know what it it, once u know its weirdness then u tend to dislike the idea. lol
This looks delicious! I’m a great fan of sweet potatoes already and with the caramelization gooeyness … I’m sold! And sesame seeds!
I had a friend who was enjoying this plate of fried something or other and finished almost 3 quarters of it and then asked me what was in it. And when I told her, she said,”Oh, I don’t eat that (one particular ingredient), don’t like the taste” and promptly pushed the plate away. Go figure
LOL! she had 3/4? lol kind of crazy
Wonderful treat..sweet potato and sesame..my fav..and such a fun recipe to do!
This recipe looks delicious so do the rest of the recipes on your blog. Very nice. Ciao!
Hi Helene,
These potatoes sound delicious!
Agree, the red skin and sesame seeds give the dish a certain design cutting the sweet potaoes into wedges instead of slices add another dimension.
Those look really amazing with that gorgeous glaze! I wouldn’t be skeptical of them at all–glad they went over so well with your visitors.
You took sweet potatoes to a whole new level!
This is almost a dessert. There’s a Danish Christmas dish I made called Brunede Kartofler. Its regular caramelised potato – didn’t realise the Japanese also had something similar.
Wow – that sounds delicious – I bet your honey is a skeptic no more! I’m a big fan of Nami and her blog, too!
I love reading your posts! The way you write them takes me all the way to Goa and I live it all!
This dish seems interesting. I used to love sweet potatoes but recently I feel that they don’t taste the same anymore!
I feel the same way when I cook for guests! These sound sure to impress!
The potatoes look amazing – the glaze looks great!
Oh dearest Helen, thank you so much for introducing my blog! You are so kind!! What a surprise at the end! And this is my favorite dessert growing up. I love the caramelized sweetness outside and sweet potatoes are just perfect for this treat. Helene, your Daigaku Imo is wonderful. I was smiling when you described about your husband. Hahaha. Well at the end you can pull off anything! Love this post!
Hi Helene,
Thanks for stopping by my site the other day – your name seemed familiar for some reason, and I think I know where I saw you before now. Did you make a comment on someone’s post about Monte Christo sandwiches a while ago? The poster was wondering if the sandwich was French and you let them know that the sandwich was most certainly not French
LOL! In all the years I’ve been living in Paris I’ve never seen such a thing.
Anyway – for the recipe – it looks so wonderful! I’ve never heard of it before, but I can well imagine how it would be – sticky, slightly crispy, with the wonderful nuttiness of sesame seeds. I think I’d love it! What a fabulous snack… thanks for sharing it
Yep that was me. the debate about the origin of the monte christo sandwich is still open. that sandwich is a variation of the Croque Monsieur which is french, but the monte Christo sandwich got its name in the US. so anyway…
thx for your lovely words about my post. =)
Love the use of sweet potatoes in this recipe. I have cold feet whenever there’s a guest visiting. Especially Indians. There’s so many to consider – vegetarians/non veg etc. But it’s fun when menu is planned, food is served and sharing laughter while enjoying a feast
I can totally see why these would be a hit. Sweet potatoes with a sweet glaze. Delish!
These look beautiful. I love roasted root vegetables. Caramelised sweet potato is so yummy, my local Japanese restaurant serves it fresh off the grill. You are making me hungry!
Those look amazing, I’m always looking for new ways to use sweet potatoes.
That sounds like something I would love! Thanks for the recipe. I eat sweet potatoes pretty often..they are so good for you! ♥