Nagaimo Chinese yam

Dioscorea batatas

Nagaimo keeps its crunchiness when sliced, julienned or diced even when cooked (for a short time). Grated nagaimo is often added to fluff up a mixture of other ingredients (batter for savory pancakes, Japanese confectioneries, ganmodoki tofu patties, etc).

Nagaimo is one of the top tonic-effect vegetables. When cut or skinned, nagaimo secretes a sticky fluid. The slimy fluid contains mucin and mannan that protect stomach mucus (preventing stomach ulcers), prevents diabetes and hyperlipidemia as well as revitalizes the immune systems.

Nagaimo is also rich in digestive enzymes, such as amylase/diastase and catalase. Amylase/diastase helps break down and digest starch while catalase neutralizes radical oxygen. Because these enzymes do not stand heat well, these effects weaken when cooked.

Recipes with nagaimo

• Kaburamushi / steamed fish with grated Japanese turnip
• Karukan / steamed yam cake
• Takoyaki / fried octopus dumplings (calamari version)
  
• Nagaimo no mentai poteto sarada / Chinese yam salad with spicy salted pollock roe
• Nagaimo-dango to horenso no osumashi / clear soup with Chinese yam dumplings and spinach
  
• Kyuri to nagaimo no shoga-amazu-ae / Japanese cucumber and Chinese yam in ginger-flavored sweetened vinegar
  
• Gobo no surinagashi, tonyu-jitate /soy milk miso soup with pureed burdock root
• Nagaimo to okura no ume-ae / Chinese yam and okra with pickled plum
• Kani to satoimo, horenso no nagaimo soosu guratan / crab, baby taro root and spinach gratin with Chinese yam sauce
• Nagaimo no ebi-iri kinchuakuni / Chinese yam with prawns in thin deep-fried tofu packets, simmered in broth
  
• Tororo to kabu no hana no osumashi / clear soup with grated Chinese yam and Japanese turnip flowers 
• Ebi to yurine-iri ganmodoki / deep-fried tofu patties with prawns and lily bulbs
• Datemaki / rolled seafood omelet
• Ganmodoki / deep-fried tofu patties
• Ra nagaimo / spicy Chinese yam pickles

Try nagaimo in the following recipes

• Daikon no shiso-amazu-ae / daikon radish with sweetened perilla-infused vinegar 
• Fubaagu no shisomaki / small gluten cake burgers wrapped with perilla leaves
• Kuzukiri to daikon, kani no sarada / kudzu arrowroot starch noodle, daikon radish and crabmeat salad, with citrus-flavored soy sauce dressing
• Daikon no shiso soosu-ae / daikon radish salad with green perilla dressing 
• Nasu no dengaku / eggplant with sweet miso sauce
  

(Last updated: June 16, 2016)