Japanese Candied Sweet Potatoes | Daigaku Imo 大学芋 Recipe

Daniel
19 hours ago
2 min read

After making my sweet potato tea cake, I was left with a few extra sweet potatoes sitting on the counter. Instead of letting them go soft, I decided to turn them into something simple and nostalgic: Daigaku Imo.

These are the sweet potatoes I used...

I used a mix of honey sweet potatoes and Japanese purple ones, though honestly, I think I should have saved the purple ones for the loaf. Still, it turned out great. Sometimes, the best recipes come from what’s left behind.

Right!? I should've used the purple ones for my tea cake...

Daigaku Imo literally translates to “university potatoes.” It became popular in Japan during the early 1900s, when university students would buy these caramel-coated sweet potatoes from street vendors around Tokyo.

They were cheap, filling, and just sweet enough to lift the mood between classes. The name stuck, and now they’re a beloved snack across Japan: crisp outside, soft and fluffy inside, glazed in a glossy sugar syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

If you’ve never made these before, don’t overthink it. You don’t need to bake or roast anything, just fry the sweet potatoes slowly until tender, then toss them in a simple caramel glaze.

It’s the kind of recipe that reminds you cooking doesn’t need to be fancy. Sweet, salty, crunchy, sticky, it’s a snack you’ll end up eating right out of the pan.

Ingredients:

(Serve 2)

Sweet Potatoes, About 1 KG
Rapeseed / Sunflower / Canola / Peanut Oil, For Frying
Sea Salt, Pinch
Granulated Sugar, 1/4 Cup
Water, 2 TBSP
Mirin, 1 TBSP
Rice Vinegar, 1 TSP
Soy Sauce, 1 TSP
White & Black Sesame Seeds, For Garnishing

Equipment:

Dutch Oven / Deep Fryer
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan

Directions:

Prep the Sweet Potatoes
Wash the sweet potatoes well and pat them dry.
Cut them into thick, angled slices — this gives more surface area for caramel to cling to.
Fry Slowly
Heat about two inches of oil in a deep pot over medium heat.
Add the sweet potato pieces in small batches — don’t crowd the pan.
Fry slowly until they’re golden and fork-tender.
If you rush, they’ll brown too fast before cooking through.
Transfer to a rack or paper towel to drain.
Immediately season with salt.
Make the Glaze
In a separate skillet, combine sugar and water.
Heat over medium until the sugar melts and starts to bubble.
Add mirin, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
Coat the Sweet Potatoes
Add the fried sweet potatoes into the syrup.
Sprinkle some white and black sesame seeds over the top.
Toss and stir until they’re evenly coated in the glossy caramel.
The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Finish and Serve
Sprinkle with more black and white sesame seeds while still warm.
Serve immediately — they’re best when crisp and sticky.