Daigaku Imo(Candied Sweet Potato)

4 Serves

Ingredients
700g Japanese sweet potato
Vegetable oil enough for frying (about 3cm deep)
1/2 cup sugar (A)
1/2 cup olive oil (A)
1 tsp black sesame seeds

Instructions
「PREP」Wash the sweet potatoes well and chop into chunks – no need to peel the skin. Soak in a bowl of water for a few minutes, then drain and dry well. If you have the time, put them on a paper towel-lined tray and leave them aside to dry (preferably in the sun!) for 30 minutes to half a day. The drier it is before cooking, the better the texture after cooking! If you don’t have that much time on your hands, pop it in the microwave for 2 and half minutes to evaporate a good amount of the moisture.
Pour about 3cm of vegetable oil in a deep saucepan and heat to 160 ºC. Deep-fry the sweet potato chunks in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Remove from oil when lightly browned and place on a paper towel-lined tray to drain off excess oil. Remove the oil from the heat.
Put (A) in a pot or pan and bring to the boil. Add the fried sweet potato chunks and stir fry until coated.
Transfer the sweet potato to bowls and sprinkle with black sesame seeds, mixing to combine.