Candied Sweet PotatoGoguma Mattang

Mattang — candied vegetables — is a category of Korean street snack that goes back to the influence of Chinese cuisine, where a similar technique of frying and sugar-coating produces dishes like tanghulu (candied fruit on skewers) and basi (candied yam). The Korean version uses sweet potato most commonly, and goguma mattang is still sold from street carts in markets and near schools.

I ate goguma mattang as a child at the gate of my elementary school, from a vendor who set up a cart during the afternoon hours when students were let out. The sweet potato pieces were always warm and the caramel coating was at the exact stage between liquid and fully hardened — tacky enough to pull at your teeth but not so hard it would crack.

At home, the critical step is the caramel. The recipe tip is accurate: do not stir the sugar mixture once it goes on the heat. Stirring causes the sugar crystals to reattach to each other and the mixture crystallizes into a grainy, opaque mass instead of the clear amber caramel you need. Swirl the pan gently if you need to redistribute the heat, but let the sugar melt on its own.

The timing between the caramel being ready and the sweet potatoes being coated needs to be fast. Caramel hardens quickly when it cools. Have the drained fried sweet potatoes ready beside the stove before you start the caramel, and toss them in immediately when the color turns amber. Sesame seeds go on at the same time.

Transfer to a greased plate immediately and separate the pieces before the caramel sets completely.