Goguma Julgi Bokkeum (Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Stems)
A summer side dish of sweet potato stems salted, peeled, and gently stir-fried with broth until tender and flavorful.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This recipe uses a salting method to peel sweet potato stems smoothly without breaking. Blanched stems are tossed with seasonings, then cooked covered with broth to steam through until tender and well-seasoned to the core. Stir-fried mild and clean, it makes a wonderful seasonal side dish for summer.
- Servings
- about 2–3 servingsOriginal: one plate
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Sweet potato stems300 g (after cleaning)
Seasoning
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Minced green onion3 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Anchovy broth (or water)4 tbsp
- Salt1/2 tsp
- Perilla oil (or toasted sesame oil)2 tbsp
- Ground toasted sesame seeds (or or perilla seed powder)1 tbsp
- Dissolve 1 cup of coarse sea salt in 30 cups of water, then soak the sweet potato stems for about 1 hour until slightly wilted.
- To easily peel sweet potato stems, you can either salt them for about 1 hour or quickly blanch them in boiling water.
Steps
How to prep sweet potato stems
Cut off all the leaves.
One bundle of sweet potato stems is about 1 kg.
Here is how to prep them so the skin peels easily.
There are two methods: salting them, or briefly blanching them in water.
Today, I will show you how to peel them by salting.
Dissolve 1 cup of coarse sea salt in 30 cups of water, then soak the sweet potato stems for about 1 hour until slightly wilted.
Flip them once or twice while soaking so they salt evenly.
As the sweet potato stems salt, the skin grips together better, so it peels easily all the way down without snapping in the middle.
When you have a large batch, doing it this way is much easier and saves time.
Although they are salted, they only wilt and do not turn salty.
If you want to make sweet potato stem kimchi, peel them completely, cut them to bite-size lengths, salt them lightly, and mix with the seasoning.
Boiling sweet potato stems
Add the sweet potato stems to rolling boiling water and blanch for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
They will cook further when stir-fried, so you only need to cook them until tender.
Rinse in cold water, drain, and cut into bite-size lengths of 3 to 4 cm.
We will season 300 g of stems prepped like this.
Seasoning and stir-frying
Season the sweet potato stems right in the frying pan.
Add 1 tbsp soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang), 1 tbsp minced garlic, 3 tbsp minced green onion, and 1 tbsp mirin (cooking rice wine), mix together, drizzle cooking oil around the bottom, and stir-fry briefly to coat everything in oil.
Drizzle in about 4 tbsp anchovy broth or water, cover with the lid, and cook as if steaming, stirring occasionally.
This allows them to cook tender to the core and absorb the seasoning.
Open the lid and stir-fry to let the moisture evaporate, then adjust the remaining seasoning with salt. Add about 1/2 tsp...
Turn off the heat, drizzle in 2 tbsp perilla oil or toasted sesame oil, and finish with ground toasted sesame seeds or perilla seed powder to taste.
Finished
This is stir-fried sweet potato stems, my favorite summer side dish.
Even without perilla seed powder, stir-frying it clean and simple makes it truly delicious.
In-season sweet potato stem namul has a uniquely tender yet pleasant texture.
The dried version has an appealing chewiness of its own, too.
Perhaps the magic of Ipchu (the onset of autumn) worked, as the extreme heat feels like it has eased slightly.
Eat well with seasonal food for the rest of the summer and take care of your health.
Ppunwife's tips
- As the sweet potato stems salt, the skin grips together better, so it peels easily all the way down without snapping in the middle.
- They will cook further when stir-fried, so blanch them only until they become tender.
- Drizzling in anchovy broth or water and cooking covered lets them steam tender to the core and absorb the seasoning well.
FAQ
Is there an easy way to peel sweet potato stems?
Dissolving 1 cup of coarse sea salt in 30 cups of water and soaking the stems for about 1 hour allows the skin to peel smoothly in one go without snapping. If preferred, you can also blanch them briefly in boiling water to peel.
Can I use plain water instead of anchovy broth when stir-frying?
If you do not have broth ready, you can cook with the same amount of water.
Can I substitute other ingredients for perilla oil or toasted sesame seeds?
Depending on your preference, you can use toasted sesame oil instead of perilla oil, or finish with perilla seed powder instead of ground toasted sesame seeds.
