KitchenNippon

＜Ingredients＞ ５ servings
Japanese yam  (長いも / Nagaimo) 100g
Mitsuba  (三つ葉 / Mitsuba) 8 stems
Egg  (卵 / Tamago) 1
Stock  (だし / Dashi) 800ml
Sake  (酒 / Sake) 1tbsp
Light soy sauce  (薄口しょうゆ / Usukuchi shoyu) 1tbsp
Salt  (塩 / Shio)  1/2tsp

＜How to Make＞
① Skin and grate the yam. Cut the mitsuba into ２cm lengths. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat.
② To a pot, add the stock, sake, light soy sauce, and salt, and begin to heat.
③ Add the grated yam to thicken.
④ Little by little add the egg to the soup and stir once, with a single stroke. As soon as you see the egg whiten, turn off the heat.
⑤ Serve in bowls and top with the mitsuba.

Japanese Yam
The Japanese yam, or nagaimo (Dioscorea opposita or Dioscorea batatas), is native to Southeast Asia and has been cultivated in Japan since the Jomon period (14,000BC – 300BC). Japanese yams are slick or slimy when cut and are crispy when eaten raw. These highly nutritious tubers are an exception to the rule that yams (Dioscorea) must be cooked to be edible. Japanese yams can turn brown where they have been cut – due to oxidation – but the change in color poses no problems for eating. To prevent oxidation, place cut pieces of Japanese yam in water with a little vinegar added. Hands can sometimes become itchy as a result of contact with raw Japanese yams. Vinegar and water, or lemon juice, will help to suppress this itchiness.

Recipe Developed by: Machiko Tateno