I remember eating these caramelized sweet potatoes when I was young for every holiday in Korea with my family. I came to the US when I was 6, but I can still recall gathering with my relatives and eating a feast of delicious Korean foods. I especially loved Lunar New Year, because this was when all the kids would bow to the elders to wish them a bountiful New Year, and in return, they would hand the kids money. It was the best part!
Lunar New Year is just around the corner (Jan 28th) and while I don’t celebrate it like I did in Korea, when Christine from Vermilion Roots asked if I would like to join in on a virtual Lunar New Year party with other awesome food bloggers, I had to say yes!
The recipe I’m contributing is called Goguma Mattang in Korean, and it’s basically deep fried sweet potato wedges that are coated in sweet caramel sauce. They are sticky on the outside and crispy on the inside, and they are pretty much the most addicting dessert ever.
I don’t like to deep fry anything at home, since I like to use stable, heat-resistant oils like coconut oil or duck fat for frying, and it can get super expensive with those healthy oils. So I baked the sweet potatoes in high heat then broiled them to get them extra crispy, and it worked so well!
Even if you don’t celebrate Lunar New Year, I hope you end up making these, because they are absolutely delicious! The honey caramel sauce enhances the sweetness of the potatoes, and this mattang makes me miss my family and Korea so much.
Paleo Korean Caramelized Sweet Potatoes (Goguma Mattang)
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 lb Japanese sweet potatoes (about 1 large or 2 small)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, divided
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp raw honey
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut them into thick wedges making sure they are all evenly sized.
- Coat and toss the sweet potato wedges with 1 tbsp of coconut oil and sea salt.
- Spread the sweet potato wedges on a baking pan and bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the sweet potatoes are golden.
- Turn up the oven to broil, then broil the sweet potatoes for 2-3 minutes until they are extra crispy.
- Once the sweet potatoes are done, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tbsp coconut oil, coconut sugar, and honey.
- Once the sauce begins to boil, turn the heat to low to simmer until the coconut sugar is dissolved.
- Turn off the heat and add the sweet potatoes to the skillet and stir to coat.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and lay the coated sweet potatoes on a parchment paper, making sure they don't touch each other.
- Cool for at 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy immediately!
#SweetLunarNewYear Virtual Party!
The following food bloggers and I have come together for a virtual #SweetLunarNewYear party, so come join in on the fun! They have all contributed amazing delicious dessert recipes specific to their countries so I think it’ll be a cultural learning experience as well:
Snow Fungus Soup by Vermilion Roots
Indonesian Honeycomb Cake (Bingka Ambon) by What To Cook Today
Chinese Peanut Cookies by Wok & Skillet
Vietnamese Steamed Rice Cakes by A Taste of Joy and Love
Gluten-Free Chinese Almond Cookies by Grits & Chopsticks
Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies by Little Sweet Baker
Ice Cream Mooncakes by Brunch-n-Bites
Coconut Red Bean Pudding by The Missing Lokness
Cashew Nut Cookies by Anncoo Journal
One Bite Pine Nut Cookies by Yummy Workshop
Baked Coconut Walnut Sticky Rice Cake by Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Black Sesame Cream Puffs by Pink Wings
Cashew Nut Cookies by Roti n Rice
Mini Peanut Puffs (Kok Chai) by Malaysian Chinese Kitchen
Thousand Layer Cake (Lapis Legit) by Daily Cooking Quest
Pineapple Cookies (Nastar) by V for Veggy
Almond Orange Spiral Cookies by Butter & Type
Three Color Dessert (Che Ba Mau) by The Viet Vegan
Year of the Rooster Mochi by Thirsty for Tea
Korean Tea Cookies (Dasik) by Kimchimari
Sweet Sticky Nian Gao (Kuih Bakul) by Lisa’s Lemony Kitchen
Sweet Rice Balls with Peanut Butter (Tang Yuan) by Omnivore’s Cookbook
Candied Ginger (Mut Gung) by Plant Crush
Chick Egg Tarts by Dessert Girl
Red Bean Soup with Black Glutinous Rice by Nut Free Wok
Orange Scented Sweet Red Bean by Lime and Cilantro
Come join the party on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and share your sweet Lunar New Year recipes by using the hashtag #SweetLunarNewYear. Hope you have a healthy and prosperous New Year!
Japanese sweet potato is the best. I’ll eat this anytime! Thank you so much for joining the party. đŸ™‚
Thanks so much for the invite. Loving all the recipes that have been contributed!
I have not come across any Japanese sweet potato in Perth :(.
Your bowl of sweet goodness makes me want to try as soon as I can find Japanese sweet potato or a good substitute.
I think you can use any kind of sweet potatoes and it’ll still work. Won’t taste like the traditional kind but it’ll still be delicious!
We LOVE this!! we often request this when we go to Korean restaurant to eat (but they don’t always have it).
Thanks so much! It’s so easy to make at home. đŸ™‚
Happy Chinese New Year Jean! This sounds so much like Japanese daigaku imo, and I am sure I am going to love these just as much đŸ™‚
I’ve never heard of that but I’ll have to check it out since I love this so much!
Yum! These look great! Happy New Year!
Thank you! Happy New Year to you as well!
I agree with you that frying at home is kind of painful. I never like the grease all over the place. Baking is the way to go! I love sweet potatoes! These look delish! I bet they are even better with the honey glaze! đŸ™‚
I thought about getting a deep fryer but honestly, this is just as delicious without frying. Thank you for your kind words!
What a great idea to pair honey with sweet potatoes. These looks so yummy!!
Thanks so much! They are really delicious.