Korean Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Stems

Name: Korean Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Stems
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: sweet potato stems (peeled) 300 g; perilla oil 2 tbsp; soup soy sauce 1 tbsp; minced garlic 1 tsp; perilla seed powder 2 tbsp; water 60 ml; green onion 15 g; water for soaking 1000 ml; salt for soaking 1 tsp

Quick answer

Total time: 55 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 9

About this dish

Peeling is most of the work here: the thin outer skin has to come off the whole length of each stem, because leftover fibers stay stringy no matter how long they cook.

Peeled and blanched, the sweet potato stems turn a clear olive green, and ground perilla seed added at the end thickens the little pan liquid into a nutty, clinging coat. The last step stays brief because that coating sticks to the pan quickly.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

sweet potato stems (peeled)

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Snap the end of each sweet potato stem and pull the outer skin downward in long strips.

Check for any tough fibers left on the surface, because they stay stringy even after stir-frying.
2

Cut 300 g peeled stems into 5 cm lengths.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in 1 litre water, soak the stems for 30 minutes, then rinse briefly in fresh water.
3

Add the stems to boiling water and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes.

As soon as they turn a clear olive green, cool them in cold water, then squeeze firmly to remove excess moisture.
4

Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of perilla oil and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.

Stir for only about 30 seconds, stopping before the garlic browns so the oil stays clean-tasting.
5

Add the stems, 1 tablespoon of soup soy sauce, and 60 ml of water, then stir-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Cook until the liquid reduces by half and the stems look slightly translucent.
6

Stir in 2 tablespoons of perilla seed powder and mix quickly for under 1 minute, just until the liquid thickens and coats the stems. Turn off the heat, add 15 g of green onion, and serve warm.