Taylor's Blog

Daigaku Imo

Oct

10

• Comments(2) |
• Reply |
• Permalink

This weekend I made daigaku imo, which is a Japanese sweet potato (satsuma imo) fried and then tossed with honey and toasted sesame seeds. This is not a dish found in restaurants or stores in America, so I had to make it myself. It took a few tries to get everything just right. The first time I only soaked slices for 10 minutes and then fried the potato, but the insides did not cook completely and the texture was wrong. Another time I fried the potato slices in honey and oil at the same time per a recipe I found online and the texture was chewy instead of crispy. The final and best result came from soaking potato slices in the fridge overnight and then parboiling them before frying. Once they were fried I added honey to the pan and tossed them quickly before serving. Each bite has a satisfying crunch from the crispy outside while retaining a fluffy inside and honey-sweet taste.

Chicken Stir-Fry

Aug

31

• Comments(1) |
• Reply |
• Permalink

Stir-frys have infinite permutations. Yet, the blend of fresh lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil tastes so good I haven't tried anything new since discovering the combination. Potatoes and broccoli absorb a lot of the addictive and tangy-sweet sauce!

I find most success when I cook and season the ingredients separately and combine them only when they are nearly finished. A trick to thicken the marinade helps boost flavor, too. Push stir-fry contents to the pan edges and pour your sauce over the empty middle space until excess liquid boils out. Watch the sauce so it does not burn and then toss the contents together to coat and finish.

If you're already a stir-fry pro then you might draw inspiration from this handy visual chart: Guide to Stir-Fry

Nutrition Info:
Protein: 32g
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 42g
Fiber: 7g
Sugar: 3g

Calories: 367
Japanese Sweet Potato - Satsuma Imo, 104g*: 137 kcal
Chicken breast, 113 gram*: 130 kcal
Freshly squeezed lime juice: 5 kcal
Toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp: 40 kcal
Rice vinegar, 1 tbsp: 0 kcal
Soy sauce, 1 tbsp: 15 kcal
Broccoli, 120g*: 40 kcal

* Listed weights are in raw or frozen state.