Scarlett WMatang - Sweet Potato with Almond Syrup
November 8th 2007 12:54
Matang - Sweet Potato with Almond Syrup
Matang - Sweet Potato with Almond Syrup
About Sweet Potato with Almond Syrup
A dazzling range of snacks is available on every street corner in the bustling cities of Korea. Known as Pojangmacha, these street vendors occupy small stands which sell a range of dishes, generally designed to be eaten standing up or on the go.
This popular dish for snacking is roasted sweet potatoes with almond syrup, and these are suspended over the stove in a large revolving drum as they roast, emerging hot, sweet and delicious on a chilly day. Other seasons also have unique specialties.
Matang, this simple interesting street dish, is thought to have its origin I Chinese cooking. Deep-fried sweet potato is coated in a sugar syrup with crunchy almonds and sprinkled with black sesame seeds, creating a dish that is both savoury and sweet.
About Sweet Potato
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), commonly called a yam in parts of the United States (especially in the southern and western portions of the country; this terminology causes some confusion with true yam) is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato. It is even more distantly related to the true yam which is native to Africa and Asia.
This plant is herbaceous perenmoal vine, bearing alternate heart-shaped or palmately lobed leaves and medium-sized sympetalous flowers. The edible tuberous root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose colour ranges between red, purple, brown and white. Its flesh ranges from white through yellow, orange, and purple.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2
3 sweet potatoes, peeled
115 gm / 4 oz / ½ cup light muscovado (brown) sugar
2 almonds, crushed
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
To garnish
black sesame seeds, as required
1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 4 00ºF.
2. Cut the sweet potatoes into bite size slices, then soak them in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes to help remove the starch. Drain, and place the potato slices on a baking sheet.
3. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, or until they have softened slightly. The potato should not be cooked through, but have a parboiled texture.
4. Put the sugar in a pan with 120 ml / 4 fl oz / ½ cup water. Simmer over medium heat until it has formed a sticky syrup, then remove the pan from the heat and add the crushed almonds.
5. Fill a wok or medium heavy pan one-third full of vegetable oil, and heat over high heat to 170 ºC / 340ºF, or when a small piece of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds.
6. Add the sweet potato. Deep-fry until golden brown, then remove from the pan and drain any excess oil on kitchen paper.
7. Combine the potatoes with the syrup, coating each piece evenly.
8. Transfer to a shallow serving dish.
9. Before serving, garnish with black sesame seeds.
**From “Korean Cooking” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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