Japanese cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Yamaimo Sticks

Raw yam cut into thin sticks, crisp and slightly mucilaginous, served with nori, wasabi and soy sauce.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 300 g Japanese mountain yam (nagaimo)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp wasabi
• 1 sheet nori
• 2 spring onions
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp kombu dashi (plant-based)

Instructions

1. Peel the yam, place it straight into cold water with the rice vinegar and let sit for 5 min. — this prevents discoloration and eases the skin's tingling.
2. Dry the yam, cut into 5 cm long pieces and slice these first into 5 mm thick slabs, then into even sticks.
3. Toast the nori sheet over a flame or in a dry pan for 10 sec. until it crackles, then cut into fine strips with scissors.
4. Stir the soy sauce with dashi, sesame oil and the wasabi until smooth with no wasabi lumps left.
5. Pile the yam sticks loosely into four small bowls and chill well until serving — they should reach the table ice-cold.
6. Right before serving, drizzle with the sauce, sprinkle with nori strips and fine spring onion rings and eat at once while the sticks are still crisp.