Candied Sweet Potato (Daigaku Imo)

Method15 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Scrub the sweet potato (200 g), keeping its skin on, and cut into similar bite-sized pieces. For roll-cut pieces, quarter it lengthwise, then turn each wedge between angled cuts. Put all the pieces in a bowl of enough water to cover and soak for ten to fifteen minutes.

   Soak cut sweet potato · 15 minUses 200 g sweet potato, preferably red-purple skinned and pale fleshed · Water to cover the cut sweet potato for soaking, as needed

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Put enough deep-frying oil in a saucepan and heat it to 160°C / 320°F, checking with a thermometer.

   Uses Oil for deep-frying, enough for the saucepan; reuse the same oil for both frying stages

3. 3

   Step 3: Drain the soaked sweet-potato pieces and pat them thoroughly dry with kitchen paper before frying.

   Uses All soaked pieces

4. 4

   Step 4: Carefully lower the dried pieces into the 160°C oil and fry for four to five minutes per batch, until a thin skewer passes easily through a piece. Use two batches if needed to avoid crowding. Drain each cooked batch on a kitchen-paper-lined tray.

   First fry: cook sweet potato through, per batch · 5 minUses All prepared sweet potato · The same heated oil saucepan

5. 5

   Step 5: Keep the cooked pieces aside and raise the temperature of the same frying oil to 180°C / 356°F.

   Uses The retained frying oil, with cooked pieces held on their tray

6. 6

   Step 6: Return the cooked pieces to the 180°C oil in uncrowded batches. Fry for about thirty seconds per batch, until the surfaces begin turning golden and crisp.

   Second fry: crisp sweet potato, per batch · 1 minUses All held cooked pieces and the same 180°C oil

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Lift all the twice-fried pieces out of the oil and drain on fresh kitchen paper. Hold the crisp cooked potatoes ready while making the honey syrup.

   Uses All crisp fried pieces

8. 8

   Step 8: Put the 40 g honey, tablespoon measured syrup water (1 tbsp) and eighth-teaspoon salt (⅛ tsp) in a separate saucepan large enough to hold all the cooked sweet potato.

   Uses 40 g honey for the selected honey syrup · 1 tbsp water for honey syrup · ⅛ tsp salt for the honey sauce

9. 9

   Step 9: Heat the honey syrup gently over low heat until it comes to a boil.

   Uses The complete honey syrup mixture

10. 10

    Step 10: Watch for small bubbles spreading across the syrup surface. As soon as they cover the surface and the syrup has thickened, remove the saucepan from the heat; further cooking can make the coating hard.

    Uses The same heated syrup

11. 11

    Step 11: Put all the drained twice-fried sweet-potato pieces into the warm honey syrup.

    Uses All prepared honey syrup · All drained fried pieces

12. 12

    Step 12: Toss gently until the sticky honey syrup coats every cooked potato piece.

    Uses The complete potato-and-syrup pan

    
13. 13

    Step 13: Sprinkle the tablespoon roasted black sesame seeds (1 tbsp) over the glazed pieces and toss lightly to distribute.

    Uses All glazed pieces · 1 tbsp roasted black sesame seeds

14. 14

    Step 14: Lift the coated pieces onto a serving plate and let the very hot syrup cool just enough for comfortable eating.

    Uses All finished sesame-coated pieces

15. 15

    Step 15: Serve the crisp, honey-coated sweet potato as three to four small snack portions, while the centres remain fluffy.

    Uses The complete plated snack