South Korea’s celebration of November is always marked with an abundance of roasted sweet potatoes filling the streets with their warm and comforting aroma. Along with this, home cooks take the opportunity to explore a variety of satisfying dishes that feature these tubers in unique and enticing ways.
One of these dishes is goguma-bap, which offers a fascinating and innovative twist on the traditional Thanksgiving side, requiring minimal effort. This delightful creation blends sweet potatoes with short grain rice, combined with a delectably sweet-spicy soy-based dressing, resulting in a truly hearty vegetarian offering. The sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, are steamed with the rice and then seasoned at the table with soy sauce and chives. The end result is a dish that boasts the pure, delightful flavor of sweet potatoes, accentuated by fresh notes of allium and nutty sesame seeds.
Conveniently, it also makes for a perfect weeknight dinner. In the version presented in the book “Cook What You Have,” which expertly utilizes pantry staples to create easy and flavorful meals, the sweet potatoes are seasoned with a touch of this sauce before cooking, infusing them with exceptional flavor. While the dish is enhanced by the nuttiness of short-grain brown rice, any variety will suffice, and the recipe only demands 10 minutes of active preparation.
For those who can access them, pungent, garlicky Chinese chives can be used instead of scallions. The Korean red pepper commonly utilized in this dish is known as gochugaru, but regular red pepper flakes serve as an excellent alternative.
Ensuring the sweet potatoes are not cut too large is crucial, as this may prevent them from cooking at the same rate as the rice. Additionally, it is important to keep an eye on the saucepan as the dish steams. If excessive steam is seen escaping from the lid, promptly uncover it to release the pressure, then recover, reduce the heat slightly, and continue cooking.
For the detailed recipe for this delightful Korean-inspired fusion, you can visit: Sweet Potato Brown Rice with Soy and Scallions
Total time to prepare and cook: 50 minutes (10 minutes active)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 cup short-grain brown rice, rinsed and drained
½ cup thinly sliced scallions OR Chinese chives
⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 medium garlic clove, finely grated
1 to 1½ teaspoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) OR red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon honey OR white sugar
1 pound orange-flesh sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks (about 3 cups)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white OR black sesame seeds OR a combination, toasted
Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine the rice and 1¾ cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low, cover, and cook without stirring for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, pepper flakes, and honey. In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the soy mixture and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
After the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, uncover the pot, scatter the sweet potato mixture over the surface of the rice (without disturbing the grains), and re-cover. Cook over low heat until both the sweet potatoes and rice are tender, for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Gently fluff with a fork, trying not to break up the potatoes. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and serve with the remaining soy sauce mixture for drizzling.
If you’re looking for more delectable recipes and dinner ideas, feel free to visit the food section of usnewsable.com.
