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Gun goguma
Roasted sweet potato
군고구마 · street-style roasted sweet potatoes with oozing caramel
On a winter evening in Seoul, the smell of gun goguma drifts out of black drum ovens on street corners, and vendors hand the potatoes over in paper bags to warm cold hands on the way home. Korean sweet potatoes have purple skin and pale, chestnut-sweet flesh that turns dense and sticky when slow-roasted, and the sugars seep out and caramelise on the skin. At home they are eaten with cold dongchimi or kimchi and a glass of milk or a cup of tea. The common mistake is roasting too hot and too short: the potato cooks but never turns syrupy, so give it the full hour. Chef's tip: once roasted, leave them in the switched-off oven for 15 minutes; they keep getting sweeter as they rest.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 Korean or Japanese sweet potatoesmedium-sized, about 250 g each, purple skin
- 1 tsp neutral oil (optional)
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Scrub 4 Korean or Japanese sweet potatoes well and dry them; leave the skin on.
5 minStep 2: Rub them lightly with 1 tsp neutral oil if you like softer skin, and set them on a tray lined with foil, as the sugar will drip and burn onto the tray.
Step 3: Roast for 60–70 minutes, turning once, until a skewer slides in with no resistance and dark syrup is bubbling from the ends.
65 minStep 4: Turn the oven off and leave them inside for 10–15 minutes more.
15 minStep 5: Break open and eat with the skin, with a little 1 pinch flaky sea salt if you like, alongside cold kimchi or milk.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 53 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does gun goguma take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of korean or japanese sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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