Simmered Sweet Potatoes with Lemon

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Peel the skin of 1 Japanese sweet potato (Satsumaimo) alternately to create stripes. Then, cut and discard both ends.
3. Cut the sweet potato into rounds about ½-inch (1.3-cm) thick. Soak them in water for 5 minutes to remove the starch, then drain.
4. In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup water, 2 Tbsp sugar, and juice from ½ lemon.
5. Add the sweet potato rounds in a single layer (ideally) in the saucepan and place an otoshibuta (drop lid) on top instead of the regular lid (here‘s why). Bring it to boil over medium heat.
6. Once boiling, skim off the scum and foam with a fine-mesh skimmer. Turn down the heat to simmer/low heat. Cook for 15–20 minutes.
7. When it’s almost done, open the otoshibuta and insert a bamboo skewer in the center of the thick sweet potato and see if it goes through.
8. Turn off the heat when it’s done cooking, and serve. Ideally, set aside and let cool for 2 hours so sweet potatoes can absorb more flavors. You can chill the sweet potatoes in the refrigerator before serving or serve at room temperature.

To Store

1. You can keep the simmered sweet potatoes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze them, but the texture of the sweet potatoes will change slightly.