Every once in a while when I was a kid, my sister and I enjoyed this special treat at Korean-Chinese restaurants. I decided to try it at home. Because we rarely deep-fry, I tried combining a healthier, roasted sweet potato method with a traditional candy coating. First, following this recipe, https://whatgreatgrandmaate.com/paleo-korean-caramelized-sweet-potatoes-goguma-mattang-2/ , we cut two small, thin Korean sweet potatoes (about ¾ lb) into even bite-sized pieces (skin on) and tossed them in about 1 Tbsp peanut oil (we didn’t have coconut oil) and a sprinkle of salt. We oven-roasted at 450 as directed, but we found that temp too high and pulled out of the oven after 16 mins (not 25). (The next time, we’ll reduce to 400 or 425 and start with 15 mins.) Second, for the candy coating, we followed Maangchi’s traditional recipe: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/matang. We heated 1 Tbsp corn oil and ¼ cup white sugar in a 9-inch nonstick pan. It took about 7 mins to reach caramelization. Then we used a disposable pair of wooden chopsticks to add the sweet potato chunks and coat them in the caramelized sugar. We carefully placed the hot, coated pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet. It took about 2 mins for the candy coating to harden. (Apr. 2020)
Cooking Adventures 