Goguma Mattang (Korean Candied Sweet Potatoes)

Have you eaten goguma mattang before?

Never in my life did I think a potato could be candied but I was proven very wrong. This dish uses Korean sweet potatoes which are more sweet compared to your average American orange sweet potato. The insides are more pale in color (think creamy pale yellow) and more fluffy. I personally enjoy them more than the North American variety.

The fluffy, creamy and sweet flesh of the Korean sweet potato pairs wonderfully with the crunchy caramel exterior. I literally crave this dish all the time and I’m not one for desserts! (if you consider this a dessert..)

It may look intimating to make but I assure you that it is relatively easy over *medium low heat*

I emphasize the medium low heat because sugar can burn really quickly if you take your eyes off of it for too long. Keeping your heat source over the lower end of medium will ensure that your sugar caramelizes properly without burning!

The ingredient list is small but it tastes *fancy*

To avoid having the goguma mattang from sticking to the plate, use a piece of parchment paper and let it dry there.

Goguma Mattang (Korean Candied Sweet Potatoes)

Korean sweet potatoes coated in a crunchy caramel and topped with sesame seeds. This dish satisfies all the taste buds! It's warm, crunchy, sweet and slightly nutty.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Korean

Ingredients

  

• Oil with a high smoke point (Avocado, Canola etc)
• 1 Korean Sweet Potato

Caramel Glaze

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp oil

Instructions

 

• Cut the sweet potato into bite sized pieces
  
• Fry the sweet potato in oil over medium heat until it is golden brown and crispy. This will take about 7-10 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. If you can easily stick a chopstick into the potato, then it is cooked!
  
• Set the fried sweet potato pieces onto a sheet of paper towel to drain the excess oil.
  

Caramel Glaze

• Over medium low heat, add sugar and oil to a pan.
  
• Let the sugar caramelize into an amber color. Once it has changed color, turn the heat to low or turn off the heat. You don't want the caramel to burn.
  
• Immediately add the sweet potatoes in and toss them very quickly! The caramel hardens really quickly and if you turned off the heat, it will harden even faster.
  
• Immediately add sesame seeds before the caramel hardens. You can't add it after the caramel hardens because it won't stick to the potato and will simply bounce off.
  

Plating

• Prepare a parchment lined sheet.
• Separate the sweet potato pieces on the sheet and let them cool.
• After a few minutes, the caramel will harden and become nice and crunchy!
  

Notes

Enjoy this on the same day. These unfortunately do not last well overnight. They end up becoming very soggy and sticky.