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Chef Chris Cho holding a plate of Korean candied sweet potatoes — This is how you make Korean Candied Sweet Potatoes!

Goguma Mattang is the Korean version of Candied Sweet Potatoes. This recipe is sweet, hearty, and super easy to make.

Sweet potatoes or goguma are better known as a Thanksgiving side dish whether it be candied or in a casserole in the US. But for Koreans, we cook sweet potatoes as a snack or side dish. It’s not as Christmas-y since it does not have butter, cinnamon, or nutmeg, but it is just as good. My wife really loved this recipe!

Goguma is a food we often have in Korea and we have various ways of cooking it. We like roasting (or air frying) sweet potatoes and enjoy it with a side of kimchi. I personally also like making Sweet Potato Pancakes which turned out to taste like honey butter chips! Such a simple root crop, but can be enjoyed in so many ways.

How to cook Korean Sweet Potatoes?

Shallow frying sweet potatoes — Shallow-fry sweet potatoes

To start off, chop the sweet potato into bite-size pieces. If you’re eating this with your children, cut it into smaller pieces. Afterward, soak the sweet potatoes in cold water, drain, then pat dry. These steps are important because as you peel the potatoes, excess starch forms. We need to remove all that and let the potatoes dry to ensure they become crispy.

To fry, you can do deep or shallow fry. I used shallow frying because I wanted to save some oil. It does the same thing anyway! Just make sure to fry for two minutes on each side then taste to check the doneness. The sweet potatoes are honestly good on their own, but coating them in the glaze is just as good!

TIP: As you fry in relatively high heat, keep your eyes on the potatoes because they can burn easily. Fry the other sides when one side is already lightly brown.

Quick Sugar Glaze for the Sweet Potatoes

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Korean candied sweet potatoes — Korean Candied Sweet Potatoes

The glaze is super quick and super simple: Soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and corn syrup. The classic way of doing it is to just use caramelized sugar, but I wanted to take it up a notch.

Soy Sauce. Completely optional, but I just added a tablespoon to balance out the sweetness.
Mirin. This is a sweet cooking wine that will give the sweet potatoes a beautiful glazed finish. This also complements the soy sauce!
Sugar. The most essential ingredient, and frankly what you’ll only need if you don’t have the other ingredients. Simply melt this in 1 tbsp of oil and coat your sweet potatoes immediately! Maximum crispiness of the glaze can be achieved when you use this only.
Corn Syrup. Personally, I like using corn syrup because it doesn’t harden as much compared to when you just use sugar. It makes the glaze stick and gives the sweet potatoes a shiny finish.

As you’re preparing the sauce, keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Once melted, quickly toss in the sweet potatoes and coat them right away. Again, the coating can easily burn so keep an eye on it!

How long are Candied Sweet Potatoes good for?

These sweet potatoes are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It’s best when consumed immediately. It can be a little cold, but I don’t think you can serve this too cold. Ever had cold french fry?? Nah mean?? Enjoy it freshly cooked with your family, friends, and especially your kids! They’ll enjoy this for sure! Yeobosayo!

Other snacks you might like:

Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!

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