Nagaimo (Chinese yam)

Nagaimo (igname de Chine)

What it is

Almost every yam in the world needs cooking; this one is eaten raw, grated into the viscous white foam called tororo and poured over rice or soba. The itch it can leave on your hands is not an allergy but needle-shaped oxalate crystals under the skin, which is why old kitchens grated it holding the tuber by an ungrated end.

In the kitchen

Grate it on a fine ceramic or metal plate, not a box grater — you want it broken to a foam, not shredded. Rub your hands with vinegar first, or peel it under running water, and the itching never starts.

Goes with

Koikuchi shoyu Wasabi Nori Soba noodles Egg Tuna Katsuobushi (dried bonito) Negi

Same species

Black bryony shoots Yam

Also used with

Gagome kombu Konowata

In season alongside

Blue foot mushroom Celeriac Escarole Lotus root Miner's lettuce Ulluco

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