Imo Yamo

I finally conquered the slippery slimy imo yamo that was frightening the rest of the contents of my fridge with it's hairy alien presence. It really was quite a feat to get that thing peeled. As soon as the slime started coming out it was difficult to grasp that tuber. This is one elusive tuber! In addition to it's slippery nature it also has many aliases: 'Nagaimo', 'the long potato' (it can grow 2-3 feet long!), 'the Japanese mountain yam', and 'the Chinese wild yam' to name a few. There are numerous tiny channels running through the length of the tuber filled with the slime. The yam can be grated and eaten raw in a salad (minus its sliminess, it has a similar crisp texture of a jicama).

I made a slimy potato stir fry. I read on wikipedia its best to soak the yam in vinegar water before eating/cooking to neutralize oxalate crystals that are found in the skin. I put a little sesame oil in my pan with some ginger, garlic and the remnants of my previous stir fry, added the circular slices of potato and added some water and fish sauce. I should have gone easy on that fish sauce. It was too umami for my taste. If there's a next time, I will be sure not to over-season/salt/umamize the dish. The potato itself didn't have much of a flavor of its own (not unlike most other potatoes I'm used to eating).


Nutritional Facts:

The nagaimo is sometimes referred to as "mountain medicine" and is used for medical purporses in Chinese medicine. It is also known to help reduce high blood pressure, regulate digestion and relieve fatigue. It may help lower cholesterol levels and acts as a tonic for general vitality. Since the nagaimo contains high levels of amylase and other digestive enzymes, it can help to digest starchy foods, such as rice eaten with it.

I stole these facts from this website:
http://www.nagaimo-aomori.com/