A boxful of Kagoshima Sweet Potatoes (2007-03-26)
There used to be just the sucky yellow-flesh Japanese yams (satsumaimo) for sale in supermarkets, but the past two years have also seen sweet potatoes from Kagoshima called Annouimo in department stores and high-end markets. Sweet as the Japanese yams may be, they are unbelievably DRY and MEALY. I absolutely hate that texture. Annouimo sweet potatoes on the other hand are moist, creamy and super duper sweet.
But Annouimo are too
expensive (about US$2 for 100gm or 3.5 oz) and
too hard to find in ordinary supermarkets, so we got online and ordered
a whole 5-kg box directly from a grower in Kagoshima. It came
just three days after the order, speeeeedy.
Microwave ovens are the natural enemy of these sugary sweet
potatoes. The microwave zaps their moisture and leave them dry
and sandy. The only way to cook them is to roast them in a hot
oven (200C for 55 to 65 minutes, depending on size). A thin smear
of oil rubbed all over
the potato before roasting ensures a crunchy shell when roasted.
Sure, cooking these annouimo potatoes in the oven may take more time
than microwaing or steaming or boiling; but after you pop them in the
oven, you can forget about them and let the oven do all the work.
When the hour's up, you'll be rewarded with the most delicious and
healthy dessert/snack/side dish: a crispy shell enveloping soft and
creamy
NECTARISH flesh. Just eat it as is, no butter and absolutely no
sugar needed. Mmmmmmm.
Tidbit: 1 cup of sweet potatoes has 23 times as much beta carotene
as 1 cup of broccoli. Eat some Annouimo if you can find it.
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