Yaki-Imo is baked Japanese sweet potatoes. Japanese sweet potatoes, Satsuma Imo, usually have purple skin with white flesh, but the inside turns bright yellow when it’s baked. Japanese sweet potatoes in winter are so sweet just by themselves that there is no need to add any sweetener or anything. Yaki-Imo is a very simple and wholesome snack for anybody at anytime.
In old times, Yaki-Imo used to be sold from trucks that went around local communities in Japan. Potatoes were slowly baked inside hot stones. When kitchen ovens became more common, anybody could make Yaki-Imo at home. You can even buy a special pot to make Yaki-Imo to recreate the taste of stone baked potatoes, but we found that it is as tasty just to throw potatoes in the oven and bake.
More local markets today carry Japanese sweet potatoes, while of course you can find them at Japanese markets. If you find them, grab them and try this tasty but healthy snack at home!
Yaki-Imo Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Japanese sweet potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350F(180C).
- Wash potatoes well, and dry them off with paper towel. Place potatoes directly on the rack of oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until cooked through.
Video
1 Comment
Came across your lovely and interesting blog while looking for a recipe for mochiko flour. We love the Japanese sweet potatoes. My latest craze is the Kabocha squash. I roast it with the sweet potatoes, So delicious!