I made Satsumaimo no Amani (Braised "Satsuma" Sweet Potatoes) the other night as an appetizer. This is another very rustic-style Japanese dish. As the sweet potato is naturally sweet (duh), I don't like to add too much sweetness to this dish. Sugar is the most common "sweetner" to this type of dish, but I like to substitute it with Yuzu-cha (Yuzu citrus jam).
Ingredients
1 medium-size Japanese sweet potato (about 3/4 to 1 lb), washed and cut into 1/2" disks. You can cut further into a half-moon shape, if the disk is too large.
water
1.5 Tbsps yuzu jam
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
a pinch of salt
Procedure
In a medium-size pot, put the sweet potatoes and add barely enough water to cover the top of the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low.
Once the potatoes are almost tender, drain half of the cooking water. Add the yuzu jam, light and dark soy sauces, and a pinch of salt (if necessary) to the pot. Bring the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the remaining sauce is reduced by half. Stir the potatoes with the sauce occasionally.
You can serve the dish either hot, or at room temperature.
