This crunchy and toasty Sautéed Yam absorbs the flavors from soy sauce being charred in the pan. Inspired by the Japanese drama, Midnight Diner.
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.
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.
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.
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Sauteed Yam
Ingredients
- 2½ inches nagaimo/yamaimo (mountain yam)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- mizuna (Japanese mustard green) (for serving; optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Peel and slice 2½ inches nagaimo/yamaimo (mountain yam) ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Some of you may feel itchy by touching nagaimo. If you‘re not sure, wear kitchen gloves to protect your skin. Once you peel, nagaimo gets very slimy, so be careful.
- Heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan and sprinkle ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- Put the nagaimo slices in the pan and sauté for 3–4 minutes on medium heat. When it has a nice char on the bottom, flip and cook for another 3–4 minutes.
- Add 2 tsp soy sauce. Quickly lift up the frying pan and swirl the nagaimo in the frying pan so that the nagaimo will be evenly coated with soy sauce. Moving around the nagaimo prevents it from getting burnt. It might splatter a little bit, so be careful. This creates delicious flavors.
- When the sauce gets thicken and the nagaimo has a nice char, turn off the heat and serve. Just like in the Midnight Diner episode, I serve this dish with mizuna (Japanese mustard green).
Absolutely delicious! I got a chance to try this when I found some nagaimo at the oriental grocery. Quick and easy to make, this could easily be my new favorite dish.
Though I did not expect raw nagaimo to be so slimy once I started cutting into it.
Hi Danica! I’m so happy to hear you got to try this recipe! It’s surprisingly delicious, isn’t it? 🙂 I’ll make a note in the recipe about sliminess. I think I mentioned about it in other nagaimo recipes but forgot in this one. Thanks for pointing it out.
Made this last night and it was delicious…Even my picky eater husband loved it..Wow!
Hi Lyn! Wow so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. So happy to hear you tried this recipe! xo
I love Midnight Diner and I love Nagaimo! I have eaten it both savory and sweet. The closest root vegetable in America would be a sweet potato or our yam, but it would not be exactly the same.
Hi Rachel! The crunch is sort of similar to lotus root as potatoes/sweet potatoes/yam get too soft/mushy as it cooks longer time, and no “crunch” texture. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
I have never been a big fan of sweet potato or yam but this looks interesting. Not sure if I will ever pick up the courage to make it, though the review from other commenters that this is delicious are reassuring. Thank you so much for this recipe, I always love to see more of the recreated recipes from Shinya Shokudo.
A tip for coughs that works for me is to eat preserved Chinese orange peel (not candied ones). I don’t really like the taste of the peel so I tend to just suck on it, and that works well enough. My Filipino friend swears by Lady’s finger “soup” – basically boiling okra and water and drinking the liquid.
Hope you feel better soon, Nami!
Hi A J! I wish I can cook for you! Sometimes, you just have to eat what someone made for you (so you have no choice but to eat hahaha).
Thank you for your tip for coughs. I have Chinese orange peel in my pantry. I’m going to check it out when I go downstairs… so basically just suck on it right? Easy enough. Lady’s finger soup… never heard of it. Going to google now. Thanks so much for writing!
Hi Nami, its funny you should say that because growing up that was the rule that my mother set – eat whatever that is cooked, or go to bed hungry. Ok not really because there is always bread and biscuits :). It seems that as I grow older, I tend to cook and eat food/ingredients that I am familiar with and be less willing to try new things. I need to be more adventurous!
Actually you are supposed to eat the orange peel. I don’t like the taste of it, so I just suck on the peel until it doesn’t have much taste before I spit it out. It works for me that way too though 😉
Glad to read that you are feeling a bit better now. ♥
Hi A J! My mom did similar too, and I had to eat at least one or two bites of everything. I still remember sitting at the table and couldn’t make myself bite deep fried oyster (panko coated) or “Kaki Fry” and sit there for hours. I just couldn’t put that in my mouth as I do not like oysters (even now). Such a traumatic experience I still remember.
Yeah, as we get older and can cook and eat whatever we want to eat (no mom in the house), I take easy route too… but thanks to JOC I sometimes have to try new things. Like this recipe. Without Midnight Diner drama, I probably never sautee Nagaimo and discover this delicious recipe. 🙂
Oh! The smell is so strong… I could only suck… I’ll try eat it then…. wish me luck. xD
Where I live, many Japanese markets carry precut Nagaimo. However most of the packages, the Nagaimo is less than an inch in diameter. So by the time the skin is scrubbed, it will be even thinner. To obtain good results, what do recommend the diameter should be.? By the way I have tried Nagaimo in Okonomiyaki and I have added to nabe’s. Thank you.
Hi Steve! Interesting, the nagaimo is precut and packaged! Wait, diameter of nagaimo is less than 1 inch??? Did you mean the thickness is less than 1 inch? We are lucky to get Nagaimo. So many people wish to put it in their Okonomiyaki… 🙂
Yes, at Mitsuwa, each package is about 6-7 inches in length and it is as thick as Gobo. I have used it by grating it and putting in Okonomiyaki. But I am not sure you can saute nagaimo the size of a quarter. Or maybe you can. I have not been to Nijiya to check their nagaimo as it is on the other side of town.
I want you to know Melissa’s Produce in Downtown Los Angeles carries many interesting items. I bought fresh Myoga Ginger, fresh Red Perilla Leaves (Shiso), fresh Sudachi Citrus, and fresh Yuzu. They are not cheap, but at least they carry many Japanese vegetables and fruits. I used these items to make homemade ponzu sauce. This latest batch was by far the best I have ever prepared ponzu sauce. The website is http://www.melissas.com. Check it out. Personally, I was tickled to get fresh yuzu and sudachi.
Hi Steve! Interesting and at the same time I couldn’t believe it… Really thin like gobo! I’m quite shocked actually… Nijiya’s nagaimio is just like the picture I showed in the post. at least 2 inch in diameter.
I’ve never been to Melissa’s Produce. They carry Myoga! That’s awesome! We sometimes get it in Nijiya in the Bay Area too. But it’s so cool to see unique Japanese ingredients in non-Japanese grocer! Thanks so much for the information. I’ll refer to LA JOC readers to this store for Yuzu as I get so many questions about where to get Yuzu… Thank you Steve!
I went to another Mitsuwa (West LA) and they had thick nagaimo (~3 1/2 inches). I bought two packages, each about 7 inches in length and will prepare them according to your recipe here!
Cool! Hope you enjoy this recipe, Steve! 🙂
I finally had the chance to make the sauteed yams today. I made BBQ T-bone steak, sauteed yams, steamed baby French carrots, easy garden salad, and poaches pears in red wine.
I rinsed the nagaino thoroughly (to remove roots, but not scrapping them), sliced them to about 1/2 inch thickness and sauteed them in a cast iron pan while BBQ’ing. Everyone in family enjoyed this dinner.
Once again, another lovely recipe that is easy to make yet so delicious.
THANK YOU Nami for allowing me to use many of you recipes.
Hi Steve! Your meal is always so fancy! I’m jealous of your family who get to enjoy your cooking! Thank you for reading my blog – without my readers, I would not be as inspired. 🙂
You sold me! 😀 I sometimes do this with lotus roots, so next time I get my hands on nagaimo I’ll definitely try it.
Hi Liz! I think any vegetables or root vegetables will taste great with some flavor of charred soy sauce… so savory and delicious! I think lotus roots have similar crunch (but harder tho) like nagaimo.. it might work better than potatoes or sweet potatoes… 🙂
Hi, Nami San!
You just made my day by posting this recipe. About 1,5 yrs ago I had to have most of my tongue removed due to cancer. So until I went to Japan in January of this year, it was very difficult for me to swallow food such as rice. Both my parents are Chinese so we’re familiar with the dry form of nagaimo. Some are nice and some not so much. We usually put them into soup along with goji berries. When I went to Japan in January my friend’s wife made Tororo gohan. If you notice, it was also featured in midnight diner though I cannot remember which season & episode. It was sooo good and the slimy texture actually help move the rice along in my mouth toward the back of my throat so I only need to tilt my head back a bit and I can swallow everything. I was looking forward to everything with nagaimo in it.
Sadly we cannot always get fresh nagaimo here in Indonesia. Whenever we do get it, it’s always soup time at my house. My friend’s wife isn’t the sharing type so I’m counting on you to help me with Tororo Gohan recipe.
Thanks so much
Hi Ima! I’m sorry to hear you had to have most of your tongue removed. 🙁 It must have been very difficult to eat and swallow food that you used to enjoy. Glad to hear Tororo helped! It really helps transfer food smoothly, and I didn’t think about that. The lady served a perfect food for you! I wish you can get fresh Nagaimo one day.
For Tororo recipe, grate nagaimo, loosen it with dashi (and mirin) and drizzle soy sauce. Serve with wasabi, shredded nori, green onion etc. Hope that helps!
Awesome! Hope to see more dishes from Midnight Diner! Tanmen ramen plz!
Hi Krys! Guess what, Mr. JOC started editing Tanmen’s video now. 🙂 You’ll love this recipe! 😉
Hi Nami-san
thanks for the recipe!
I’ve started watching the original series of Midnight Diner (don’t have netflix), and really enjoying it
I really like the texture of nagaimo, and have made nagaimoyaki after learning from someone in Wakayama via nagomi . Then recently I saw and tried sauteed nagaimofor the 1st time at a restaurant, now will def try at home!
Hi q! Awesome! I am so happy you’re enjoying the show. And if you like nagiamo, you will love this dish. Also I’m happy to hear that you went to Wakayama and used Nagomi Visit! YAY!!!! Thank you for writing!
Is “nagaimo” the same as “yamaimo”? I have used “yamaimo” in soups before and it looks the same as the picture you show for nagaimo.
Hi Nina! Nagaimo is in the Yamaimo family. Different origin (China, Japan, etc) and usually Yamaimo is labeled as this heart shape one. It’s similar, slightly different in taste, texture, and looks different.
https://amanaimages.com/info/infoRM.aspx?SearchKey=20013021493&GroupCD=0&no=60&brandrm=True&brandrf=True
One on left is Yamaimo, and one on right is Nagaimo. 🙂
Hi! Can I do this to daikon? I’m allergic to yam! But love daikon.
Thanks! Faye
Hi Faye! If you slice daikon into same thickness, daikon won’t be cooked through (nagaimo cooks faster). So… either you have to cut into thinner slices or you have to blanch sliced daikon for a short time (don’t over cook). Or… you could cover non-blanched daikon slices in the frying pan and steam a bit (with or without a tiny bit of water) before you add soy sauce. Hope this helps!
Hi Nami! Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the detailed instruction! I’ll definitely give it a try.
Faye
Hope you enjoy! xo
Hi Nami,
I made this as soon as I saw the episode!
I loved it. I had never had this before. Nagaimo is one of my favorite Japanese vegetables.
Cheers,
Debra
Hi Debra! So happy you already got to enjoy this simple yet delicious Ippin ryori! The nice soy sauce char is so yummy on the bland nagaimo (but the texture of nagaimo is excellent!).
Ohaiyo-Nami-San !
I LOVE grated Nagaimo, with a bit of shoyu, over rice.
It grosses most folks but… I like it.
Thus.. I’m anxious to try your recipe.
Nagaimo is readily available where I live.
Ohayo Doug-san! 🙂 You do!!! My mom loves it too… In general I love crispy and crisp texture of food, so maybe that’s why I’m not so interested in the tororo gohan. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this quick and yummy recipe!
I’m one of those weird people who loves “tororo gohan”.
Another side dish I love is Natto & Gohan.
Even my wife, who is ethnic Chinese, loves it.
I would have to credit my grandmother who regularly served these “weird” dishes.
Hahaha! You’re not weird. 🙂 I’m happy to know you eat all the food despite the look. I love Natto! Your grandma is awesome! My son and I eat natto, while Mr. JOC and my daughter don’t.
I love natto & tororo gohan too. Also love a slimy okra side dish.
I think we will substitute sweet potato for your root vegetable makes life easier. Soy sauce will go well with the sweetness of the potato.
Every Friday night we have date night (I make dinner). Sit & watch an episode or two Midnight Dinner. The endings make the show.
Hi Thomas! Yes, definitely sweet potato and soy sauce is a delicious combination. Too bad sweet potato will not have crisp (yet tender) texture like Nagaimo when you bite into it. But I know it’ll be delicious. If you cook thick slices, I recommend pre-cook (but it depends on sweet potato types). 🙂
I LOVE your every Friday night schedule… so sweet!!! I want to do the same when the kids are older (and maybe out of the house). 😀
I watch the series on netflix too^ so I made the attempt to cook 長芋のソテーfollowing your recipe. Now, I am not such a big fan of nagaimo myself…. and indeed only use it in cooking Okonomiyaki…
But boy ! This was a nice surprise 😀 the texture is just lovely and it has great flavour. Thanks so much for this recipe!
From the Netherlands with love!
Hi Suzanne! Happy to know you agree with me. Yeah nagaimo alone is rather bland and you have to eat with soy sauce or some seasonings.
I’m happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thank you for writing! I wish I could visit Netherlands… xo