This Simmered Sweet Potatoes with Lemon recipe is an easy and classic way to enjoy Japanese sweet potatoes (Satsumaimo). It makes a delightful side dish and healthy snack. So simple yet so good, you’ll want to always have some on hand.
This Simmered Sweet Potatoes with Lemon (さつまいものレモン煮) is a humble dish that exemplifies the flavor and nutrients of the amazing vegetable. Gently cooked in a liquid with lemon juice, they are slightly tangy and sweet with a pleasant fruity fragrance.
I like to make a big batch of it to serve as a side dish throughout the week and I sometimes pack them in my kids’ lunch boxes. They make a healthy afternoon snack to enjoy with your green tea too. If you love Japanese sweet potatoes, you will appreciate the simplicity of these simmered sweet potatoes.
3-Ingredient Simmered Sweet Potatoes with Lemon
For this recipe, you’ll only need three ingredients: Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo), lemon, and sugar.
Some variations of this recipe may include mirin, soy sauce, and so on, but I personally enjoy the sweet potatoes in their simplest flavor. You can experiment with the additional seasonings as you like.
The Importance of the Otoshibuta (Drop Lid)
In this recipe, you will see this unfamiliar Japanese kitchen tool called otoshibuta (落し蓋), or a drop lid being used.
It is an essential Japanese kitchen equipment, traditionally made of wood but these days they are made of stainless steel. The round lid is slightly smaller than the diameter of the saucepan, and the lid floats on top of the simmering foods. Why do we use the otoshibuta instead of the regular lid that comes with the pot? Let’s find out.
What Does the Otoshibuta Do?
1. Even distribution of heat
Otoshibuta ensures that the heat is evenly distributed, allowing the ingredients to cook quickly and evenly as they absorb all the delicious flavors. The cooking liquid circulates towards the lid and coats the top of the ingredients, without being stirred with a spoon (which could possibly break them apart).
2. Prevents ingredients from breaking apart
Otoshibuta holds the ingredients in place so they don’t move around in the liquid and don’t break apart during the simmering process.
3. Prevents evaporation
Using the otoshibuta prevents evaporation, but if you’re cooking with very minimal cooking liquid, you can place a regular lid (with otoshibuta inside) to prevent evaporation 100%.
Where to Buy Otoshibuta?
You can get the wooden otoshibuta (fixed-width) on Amazon or stainless steel otoshibuta (adjustable size) from this online shop.
Or you can easily make an otoshibuta with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper. Learn how to make it in this post.
If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy Japanese sweet potato, I hope you give this Simmered Sweet Potatoes with Lemon a try. They are delicious warm, room temperature, or chilled.
Simmered Sweet Potatoes with Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 Japanese sweet potato (Satsumaimo)
- 1 cup water
- ½ lemon
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Before You Start…Please note that this recipe requires about 2 hours of cooling time. Gather all the ingredients.
- Peel the skin of 1 Japanese sweet potato (Satsumaimo) alternately to create stripes. Then, cut and discard both ends.
- Cut the sweet potato into rounds about ½-inch (1.3-cm) thick. Soak them in water for 5 minutes to remove the starch, then drain.
- In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup water, 2 Tbsp sugar, and juice from ½ lemon.
- Add the sweet potato rounds in a single layer (ideally) in the saucepan and place an otoshibuta (drop lid) on top instead of the regular lid (here‘s why). Bring it to boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, skim off the scum and foam with a fine-mesh skimmer. Turn down the heat to simmer/low heat. Cook for 15–20 minutes.
- When it’s almost done, open the otoshibuta and insert a bamboo skewer into the center of the thick sweet potato. It's done if it goes through smoothly.
- Turn off the heat when it’s done cooking, and serve. Ideally, set aside and let cool for 2 hours so sweet potatoes can absorb more flavors. You can chill the sweet potatoes in the refrigerator before serving or serve at room temperature.
To Store
- You can keep the simmered sweet potatoes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze them, but the texture of the sweet potatoes will change slightly.
Hi Nami, thank you for this delightful looking and sounding recipe! Am anxious to try it. I didn’t see where you drained the potato from the cooking liquid. Do you leave in the liquid to cool? – to store? I do imagine you drain if you are packing for a lunch. But I wonder if leaving it in the cooking liquid would turn them mushy?
Hi Gwen! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
You can leave the sweet potatoes in the syrup until you serve them. Ideally, you can serve the potatoes and syrup together. (It will not be mushy)
But if you are packing it for a lunch box, you can take out the sweet potato and set it aside a bit to drain the syrup before you pack them.
We hope this helps!
HI Nami-san,
I usually just clean, steam, slice and eat the Satsumaimo but this sounds much more tasty, it’s easy and interesting for a change. Seems like it will work for kabocha also? Will try it soon.
Hi Dan! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We hope you enjoy the new way of enjoying sweet potatoes! Kabocha sounds great too. Let us know how it goes!🤗
Hi Nami,
Just wondering, can I substitute the sweet potato with other vegetables?
Hi Bernice, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Sure, you can use other vegetables like carrot, etc, if you prefer.
Enjoy!
I am pleased to announce that this recipe also works with Australian golden sweet potato (I think it’s the same as the American variety, but not sure); likely doesn’t taste the same though, so still kind of interested to see what the original version is like. Sadly I only had bottled lemon juice; I went with a tablespoon on the advice of another site, but the lemon flavor ended up being just a smidge overpowering and the slight haphazardness of the simmering probably didn’t help (fun fact: three out of the four burners on our oven will cause the setup in this recipe to boil even at minimum setting, and I only found the “right” one after three tries…)
Still, first batch turned out alright at room temperature so I’ll take them with me to work tomorrow (we’ll see how they turn out chilled then, too) and see if I can get some improvements for the rest of them (I got enough potato for four servings; it’s very cheap!). We even happen to have some yuzu lying around so I might give that a shot and see what happens, and I have a strange urge to try cinnamon also.
Hi DC!
Thank you for trying this recipe and for sharing your cooking experience with us!😊
How do you like them best, hot, room temperature or chilled?
Hi Ben!
We enjoy warm, room temperature, or chilled! We think it depends on the weather too.
If it’s a very cold day, it’s best at room temperature or warm.😉
Came out amazing and were delicious right out of the pot!
When it says “Ideally, set aside and let cool to absorb more flavors for 2 hours”, does it mean in the liquid or not? Thanks!
Hi William! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for trying it! Yes, in the liquid. I’ll update the recipe. Thanks so much for asking!
Wonderful! I made it for my Japanese daughter-in-law. She was pleased and surprised.
Hi Melissa! That’s so sweet! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
I made these a few days ago! The recipe is simple and easy to follow, and making an otoshibuta with foil is easy (though I finally have a wooden one on the way to me in the mail from Japan)! They are sweeter than I expected, but they are very refreshing and delicious. I think I might try with less sugar for my own preference. I love the combination of sweet potato with lemon and would have never thought of it on my own! I am certain I’ll make these many more times!
Hi Lion! How are you? Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
Yay for the wooden otoshibuta coming your way! This dish has a “sweet” taste and mine is probably middle on sugar level. You can imagine how sweeter level can be… I like the natural sweet potato taste so I think it’s a good idea to reduce a bit more!
Hi Nami,
Thank you for another great recipe! Looks lovely and it is delicious.
I have a question, though. How do you keep the sweet potatoes from turning bluish? Mine always oxidized, which make them look unappetizing. I think I’ve tried every trick in the book. I soaked them in water, in salted water, even in lemon water! I’d appreciate it if you can share your thoughts on this.
Thank you again for the delicious recipe.
Hi Kisa! I never had that bluish color problem so I googled. Some people said it’s the way you stored the sweet potatoes. Did you keep them in a plastic bag or leave them in a dark place? Too much CO2 in the bag and when you cook, the flesh changes to blue. Interesting. It doesn’t
Some chemical reaction in the bag that may have caused the color change while cooking. From what you described, it seems like you already tried best to prevent from coloring (soaking in water etc). What do you think? Let me know, I’m curious too!
Well I love sweet potatoes & I love your blog…unfortunately I don’t live anywhere near a store that sells Japanese sweet potatoes. Will the good old American variety work here?
Hello A! Yes, it’ll work. Japanese sweet potatoes are even sweeter than American variety, but I think both works with this recipe. I’m hoping that Japanese sweet potatoes will reach to your area one day! My local American grocery stores started to sell them. Also, Korean and Chinese grocery stores carry them too, in case you live nearby. 🙂
If you have a Natural Grocers nearby, I almost always see them there. It’s a chain grocery store in the US, but this may be particular to my region (Midwest).
Thanks Lion! That’s so cool to hear that and made me happy. 🙂
Looks delicious! How do you make a big batch if the rounds need to be in a single layer? Do you keep using the same liquid to cook additional batches?
Hi Emily! You can stack on top, but make sure it’s flat so sweet potatoes won’t be damaged while cooking (and do use otoshibuta – even homemade aluminum foil one). I’d increase the cooking liquid and make sure the sweet potatoes are just covered with liquid (which is why you need otoshibuta so liquid will circulate). 🙂