Growing up in Japan, I was always more partial to traditional Japanese snacks over Western-style sweets like cakes and cookies that most Japanese children enjoy. One of my absolute favorites is Candied Sweet Potatoes, or we call them Daigaku Imo (大学芋). When I was in kindergarten, I remember I went to harvest Japanese sweet potatoes as part of the school excursion. All the kids brought home fresh sweet potatoes straight from the field, and my mom turned them into these bright, candied sweet potatoes. My dad and I are big sweet potato fans so we gobbled them up quickly.
What is Daigaku Imo (University Potato)?
These candied sweet potatoes are called Daigaku Imo in Japanese, and they are a sweet snack made of deep-fried Japanese sweet potatoes that are covered in a hard sugar candy coating. You may wonder why are they called Daigaku Imo – literally means “University Potato”. Because sweet potatoes were filling and cheap, they became a popular snack at universities in Tokyo during the early 1900s. Until today, Daigaku Imo is still popular and can be found at many food stands and school festivals during the fall season.
About Japanese Sweet Potatoes (Satsumaimo)
The Japanese sweet potatoes have this beautiful creamy yellow flesh on the inside and burgundy skin on the outside. You can get these Japanese sweet potatoes at Japanese grocery stores, Asian grocery stores (especially Chinese and Korean), your local farmers’ markets, and even at Trader Joe’s, especially during fall and winter months.
How to Make Candied Sweet Potatoes
It’s very simple to make this snack. Here are the 5 easy steps!
3 Basic Tips for Candy Making
Here are some tips when you make sugary syrup for candy coating:
Non-Deep-Fried Version
For the best tasting Daigaku Imo, deep-frying is always the way to go. But if you wish to avoid deep frying, there is a shortcut you can take. I learned about this steam & shallow-fry technique from a friend and decided to give it a shot. At first, I was skeptical. But the result was so good that I was blown away. Not bad for non-deep-frying method, I’d say. If you are not going to deep fry, this might be your only favorite way to enjoy the sweet potato snack! In the recipe instructions below, you’ll find both deep-frying and shallow-fry methods. Just don’t forget to grab a bag of Japanese sweet potatoes the next time you see them at your local market.
Other Japanese Sweet Potato Recipes
Japanese Sweet Potato Pie Simmered Sweet Potatoes with Lemon Japanese Sweet Potato
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 15, 2013. The post has been updated in January 2020 with the recipe for the traditional method and with new images.
