A square white plate contaning Sauteed Yam, which is simply cooked in a frying pan and coated with soy sauce.

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Have you tried Sautéed Yam before? The recipe was featured on the popular Japanese TV program called Shinya Shokudo (深夜食堂) or ’Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories‘ now available on Netflix. The show features Japanese dishes that are more representative of home-cooked recipes than Japanese Restaurant menu items in the US.

Since the drama doesn’t provide detailed ingredients and step by step instructions, I started to share these copycat recipes on my blog. Today’s recipe – sautéed yam (長芋のソテー) was featured in Season 1, Episode 8.

What is Nagaimo?

First thing first. You probably wonder what type of yam is being used in this recipe. It is not the sweet potato “yam” you might be thinking of. If you’re not sure what’s the difference between a yam and a sweet potato, this article might be helpful. So this particular yam used in this recipe is called Nagaimo (長芋) and it looks like this.

Nagaimo | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Sounds or looks familiar? You might have researched this ingredient for Okonomiyaki recipe because grated nagaimo in the Okonomiyaki batter is important for the fluffy texture. Also, if you have traveled in Japan, you might have tried Tororo Gohan (とろろご飯). That white gooey and slimy thing on top of rice, that’s also grated nagaimo.

A square white plate contaning Sauteed Yam, which is simply cooked in a frying pan and coated with soy sauce.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

To be honest, I was quite surprised at how delicious this simple dish was. If it wasn’t for Midnight Diner inspiring me to recreate the recipes from the show, I probably wouldn’t have come up with a dish like this using nagaimo. I used to only buy nagaimo for making Okonomiyaki and hadn’t made any other nagaimo recipes that my mom used to make for us when growing up. In short, I’m not a fan of nagaimo by itself.

So, this dish was a total surprise for me (in a good way). I want to emphasize that if you look at the ingredient list, you see only four ingredients. Besides nagaimo, you only use olive oil, salt, and soy sauce. I was delighted and totally awed by the deliciousness of this dish with my not-so-favorite nagaimo.

I think the key “yum” factors come from 3 parts: 1) a nice crunchiness from nagaimo, 2) burnt/charred soy sauce flavors, and 3) the right amount of saltiness that brings bland nagaimo to the next level.

I know it’s hard to convince people to enjoy nagaimo, so I pray that my photographs of this simple dish did it justice. The lighting on this day was perfect so I am really happy with the way the pictures turned out. I hope that these sauteed yam looks delicious enough for you to give it a try!

Can’t Find Nagaimo?

Lastly, if you can’t get nagaimo where you live, it’s really difficult to substitute ingredients for it. I cannot recommend using potatoes or other root vegetables as a replacement. Nagaimo cooks very quickly compared to other thick root vegetables and has a unique texture unlike anything else.

A square white plate contaning Sauteed Yam, which is simply cooked in a frying pan and coated with soy sauce.

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Sautéed Yam

4.68 from 49 votes
by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Five golden-brown, pan-fried nagaimo slices are served on a white plate with fresh green mizuna leaves on the side, reminiscent of the comforting Sautéed Yam dish from Midnight Diner. Chopsticks rest nearby on a dark wooden table.
Slice nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam) into thick rounds, sear in a hot pan, then coat with soy sauce for charred, crispy edges. Just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes for an easy side dish or bento snack.
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Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Servings: 2

For Serving

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    A bundle of fresh mizuna, a chunk of yam, a small bowl of oil, a bowl of soy sauce, and a bowl of salt are arranged on a wooden surface—perfect ingredients for preparing Sautéed Yam (Midnight Diner) at home.
  • Peel 2½ inches nagaimo/yamaimo (mountain yam) and cut into ½-inch (1.3-cm) slices.
    Nami's Tip: Nagaimo can irritate skin and cause itchiness. Wear kitchen gloves if you're not sure, and rinse your skin with vinegar if it becomes itchy. Nagaimo gets slippery and slimy once peeled, so be careful when slicing.
    Two images: Left, a hand peels a yam with a peeler in preparation for Sautéed Yam (Midnight Diner). Right, a hand slices the peeled yam into thick rounds on a wooden surface.

To Cook

  • Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half the amount or the same weight for table salt) over the oil.
    Two side-by-side photos of a person adding oil, then salt and pepper, to a black frying pan on a stove—capturing the initial steps of making Sautéed Yam inspired by Midnight Diner.
  • Place the nagaimo slices in the pan in a single layer. Leave undisturbed and fry for 3–4 minutes, until the bottom chars a bit. Flip and fry the other side for 3–4 minutes until it chars, too.
    Two side-by-side images show four round daikon slices in a frying pan. On the left, they’re raw and white; on the right, they’re golden brown and cooked—much like the transformation seen in Sautéed Yam from Midnight Diner.
  • Add 2 tsp soy sauce. Quickly lift the pan and swirl it to evenly coat the nagaimo in the sauce.
    Nami's Tip: The sauce might splatter a little bit, so be careful. Moving around the nagaimo keeps it from burning and creates a delicious charred soy sauce flavor.
    A hand pours sauce over four seared scallops in a frying pan, reminiscent of the careful technique used when preparing Sautéed Yam (Midnight Diner); in the next image, the scallops cook gently in a bubbling, steaming sauce.

To Serve

  • Cook briefly until the sauce thickens and the nagaimo develops a nice char, then turn off the heat.
    Serve immediately with optional mizuna (Japanese mustard green), just like in the Midnight Diner episode.
    Left: Slices of daikon radish cooking and browning in a frying pan, reminiscent of the method used for Sautéed Yam (Midnight Diner). Right: Cooked daikon slices served on a white plate with fresh arugula. Both images showcase a Japanese-style dish.

To Store

  • Keep in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. I do not recommend freezing nagaimo, as it changes the texture.

Notes

Variations
  • Add a chili kick. Finish with a pinch of shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice) for heat.
  • Swap the salt. Try a pinch of yuzu kosho instead of kosher salt for a citrusy, spicy edge.
  • Skip the mizuna. Serve plain, or swap in your favorite greens like mesclun or arugula, scallion, or shiso for the garnish.
  • Turn it into a bowl. Toss the charred nagaimo over hot steamed rice for a fast donburi meal.

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 393mg, Potassium: 430mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg

The nutrition facts shown are generated by an online calculator and are estimates only. Please consult a professional nutritionist for specific dietary needs.

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