Here is a Japanese recipe for imo mochi, potato cakes that are eaten as an appetizer in izakaya (Japanese bars). It is a specialty of Hokkaido located in the north of Japan, where, at the time, rice was a rare commodity. That’s why potato recipes are common in this region of Japan. This is an easy Japanese recipe, with the combination of the shoyu soy sauce and semi-salted butter which gives it a tasty “umami” taste. A delightful treat!
Recipe imo mochi, Japanese potato pancake
Equipment
- 1 Stove
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 400 g of potato
- 1 tbsp of milk
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch
- 40 g of cheese
- 20 g of salted butter
- 2 tbsp of soy sauce
- salted butter for cooking
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, remove the sprouts if present, and wash them. In a large pot of boiling water, add the potatoes and cook until the tip of a knife fits easily. Allow about 20 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. You can put a lid on to speed up the cooking time.
- Drain them and mash them with a fork or a puree press. Add the milk and potato starch, mix well until you obtain a paste, then divide it into 5 equal parts. Divide the cheese and salted butter into 5 equal parts.
- Shape the imo mochi: in one hand, take a potato ball and stuff it with cheese. Shape it into a thick round cake.
- In a pan heated to medium heat, add salted butter and brown your imo mochi. Put your imo mochi in a plate and add the soy sauce in the melted butter remaining in the pan. This sauce will be used to coat your imo mochi with a brush.
- Arrange them on a plate and coat them with the hot butter and soy sauce mixture. Finish by adding the small squares of salted butter on top and that's it!
Our imo mochi are best served hot!
To fully enjoy the Japanese dining experience while eating imo mochi, we recommend serving them with beer or japanese cocktails. Our recipes for edamame and yakitori (chicken skewers) or karaage (chicken fritters) or tsukemono (pickled vegetables) will make an excellent Japanese appetizer.
