Everybody loves our fried sweet potato!

   The longest queue at Kochi’s Sunday or Thursday market is always at the “Imoten shop”. Imoten is fried sweet potato tempura. It may not sound very special, but please try it! You will find it is very different from Imoten you would make at home. The sweet potato remains juicy inside the crispy batter, and it’s so addictive that once you have started eating it, it is hard to stop. Imoten has been popular amongst people of all ages for a long time.

   

Imoten fried in oil

    I talked with Ms. Takeuchi, one of the staff at the shop, and she told me that they have been selling imoten for more than 30 years. She said that they can use several hundred kilograms of sweet potato for one Sunday market. Imoten is popular amongst tourists as well as with the local customers, many of which have been coming to the shop for years. As I interviewed Ms. Takeuchi, the customers queued for the shop in an endless stream, many of them buying three or four bags. There’s no denying that imoten is a favourite of Kochi people.

Imoten just fried

   I asked Ms. Takeuchi what the secret is behind their imoten’s tastiness, and she said it has to be the batter, which has been made from the same recipe for more than 30 years. Enjoy browsing the markets while eating freshly made imoten – but take care as it is very hot!

●Shop: Agetate Tempura Shop Ohira (Sunday market at Otesuji Street and Thursday Market near the Kochi Prefectural Office)

●Imoten: 250 yen per pack (with 5-6 small imoten)
*Please check vol.17 for information about Sunday & Thursday markets.

Taken from vol.40 PDF