Jaga Bata: Japanese Butter Potato Recipe using Microwave

The cherry-blossom viewing season or the time of “Ohanami (お花見)” is just around the corner here in Japan.

Speaking of Ohanami, many people prefer delicious treats offered by street food stalls or “Yatai (屋台)” at the O-hanami festival over the scenery of cherry blossoms.

The Yatai street stalls sell a wide range of foods, from traditional Japanese snacks to popular overseas confections, so it is hard to decide what to choose. 

But if you are an “O-matsuri (お祭り: Japanese festivals)” beginner, first and foremost, I would recommend “Jagabata (じゃがバター)”.

What is Jagabata (Jaga Bata)?

Jagabata is actually a compound word composed of “Jaga (じゃが)”, an abbreviation of “Jagaimo (じゃがいも)” meaning “potato”, and “bata (バター)” that stands for butter.

And Jaga Bata is a simple snack food consisting basically of plain cooked (baked, steamed, or boiled) potatoes and pats of butter.

But it has been a long-time favorite festival food in Japan and is widely loved because of its simple deliciousness.

Jaga Bata Recipe using Microwave Oven

When I want to eat Jaga Bata at home, I often cook it using a microwave oven because I’m so lazy. And today, I actually made the hearty butter potatoes.

For those who are interested in that recipe, here I will share it. The main ingredients you need to prepare for the dish are only white potatoes and butter or margarine.

Instructions

1		First, wash the potatoes and remove eyes from them. Wipe water off the potatoes with a paper towel, but leave some.
2		Wrap the unpeeled whole potatoes in plastic wraps and microwave them at 600 watts for about 5 minutes.
3		5 min later, take the potatoes out from the oven and remove the plastic wraps. Then, cross-cut the potatoes halfway through.
4		Place a pat of butter in the cross.
5		If you want some saltiness and umami taste, sprinkle a dash of salt and the “Ajinomoto (味の素)” seasoning powder.
6		Now, it’s ready to eat. Enjoy the Jaga Bata potatoes with melting butter!