Kinpira Sweet Potato (さつまいものきんぴら) is braised sweet potato seasoned with Soy Sauce and sugar, just like Kinpira Gobo or Kinpira Carrot. This is a great small side dish that goes very well with any kind of entree, fish or meat. Or make it as a snack to have with tea in the afternoon.
Kinpira usually means Kinpira Gobo which is braised burdock root and carrot cooked in a sweet and salty sauce, but here we made it with Japanese sweet potato. Japanese sweet potato has yellow meat with purple skin, and it is quite dense and sweet when cooked. The American counterpart, often called a yam, has orange flesh, is less starchy than the Japanese kind, and has more water content. It is much easier to find Japanese sweet potatoes at local stores today, and you can most likely find them at American supermarkets. If you can’t try any Asian market.
