Potatoes and yams
Dried Nagaimo (Chinese Yam)Drying Time, Storage and a Sesame Vinegar Recipe
Nagaimo is a long yam, also called Chinese yam, that can be eaten raw. Hokkaido is one of Japan’s biggest nagaimo producers. Outside Japan, look for it at Japanese, Korean or Chinese grocery stores.
It stays sticky even when dried, and rehydrated and simmered, it turns pleasantly chewy. Add it to simmered dishes and soups, or toss it with kinako (roasted soybean flour) or ground sesame like a Japanese sweet.
| Drying time | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 2–4 days | 3 weeks at room temperature (fridge in humid summer) |
| Semi-dried | Half a day | 4 days in the fridge |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry nagaimo
- Wash: Scrub the skin well with a brush. If the hairy roots bother you, singe them off quickly over a gas flame.
- Skin on or off: Peeling is optional. If you peel it, the skin can make your hands itch, so wet your hands with vinegar water or wear gloves.
- Cut: Pat dry and slice into rounds about 1 cm (⅜ in) thick.
- Lay out and dry: Spread on a basket without overlapping, somewhere sunny and breezy. Turn about once a day and bring in by evening.
Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.
When it’s done
Dry (2–4 days)
It’s done when the rounds have shrunk and turned whitish and hard. If they’re still springy when pressed, dry a little longer.
Semi-dried (half a day)
The surface is dry. Pan-fried, they turn crisp outside and chewy inside, perfect as “steaks” or with butter and soy sauce.
Day by day
Before drying
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Storage
- Dry: Put completely dry rounds in a bag or airtight container with a desiccant, and keep somewhere cool and out of direct sun for about 3 weeks. In humid summer weather, keep them in the fridge.
- Semi-dried: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 4 days.
- Frozen: Both dry and semi-dried can be frozen for 1–2 months.
Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage. Don’t eat it; throw it away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
Rehydrating and using it
- Rehydrate: Soak in water for about 15 minutes, then boil for about 10 minutes.
- Use it dry: Add straight to simmered dishes, soups and miso soup, and simmer a little longer.
- Good in: Simmered dishes, dressed side dishes, tossed with kinako, stir-fries.
Recipe
Dried nagaimo with ground sesame and vinegar
- 10 dried nagaimo rounds
- A: 2 tbsp ground sesame seeds, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1½ tsp rice vinegar
- A few drops of chili oil
- Soak the dried nagaimo in water for 15 minutes.
- Put the nagaimo in a pot with enough water to cover and boil for 10 minutes.
- Drain, toss with A, and finish with a few drops of chili oil.
Dust with sugar instead of chili oil for something like a Japanese sweet. It’s also good made with kinako or white sesame.
