Umami-glazed Sweet Potato with Sea Veg Salad
By OcadoLife
Published on 20 May 2025
Japanese chef, food writer and cookery teacher Yuki Gomi is on a mission to share how nourishing and flavoursome her native food can be. Her Umami-glazed Sweet Potato with Sea Veg Salad ticks the boxes, layering up flavours while providing a source of vitamin C, vitamin A and fibre. Factor in a little extra time to soak the sea veg, as well as time for marinating the tofu in shio koji if you’d like an extra umami hit.
Time and servings
50 minsTotal time
2Servings
15 minsPrep time
35 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes, halved lengthways
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp umami paste
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 150g super-firm tofu
- ½ tbsp Hanamaruki Ekitai Shio Koji (optional)
- 10g Clearspring Japanese Sea Vegetable Salad
- ½ cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds scraped out, thinly sliced into half-moons
- 1 tbsp Yutaka Yuzu Seasoning
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
- ½ tsp runny honey
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- ½ tbsp mixed seeds
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Drizzle the sweet potatoes with the sunflower oil; place cut-side down in a roasting tin. Roast for 30 mins or until softened. Make a glaze by combining the umami paste and mirin in a small bowl. Flip the potatoes and brush them with the mixture. Roast for 5 mins more.Step 2
Squeeze the excess moisture from the tofu and crumble it into a bowl. If using the shio koji, stir it through the tofu and leave to marinate for at least 15 mins (or up to 2 hrs). Soak the sea vegetables in a bowl of lukewarm water for 10-15 mins, until soft and expanded. Drain and rinse well; set aside. Put the cucumber in a bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and leave to stand for 5 mins. Squeeze with kitchen towel to remove the excess liquid; add to the sea vegetables.Step 3
To make the dressing, whisk together the yuzu, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Stir in the ginger and sesame seeds.Step 4
Pour the dressing over the salad; toss to coat and top with the tofu. Serve with the sweet potatoes, scattered with the mixed seeds.