Crispy and Sweet! Healthy No-Fry Candied Sweet Potato Golden Recipe

Do you remember the candied sweet potatoes, also known as Mattang in Korea, that we used to eat as kids? It is a charming snack with a sweet and crispy texture that keeps you coming back for more. However, when we try to make it at home, we often hesitate due to the cumbersome deep-frying process. After frying sweet potatoes with a lot of oil, dealing with the leftover oil is a big chore, and cleaning the kitchen because of the oil splattering everywhere during cooking is not easy either. Plus, the worry about calories makes it feel like a burdensome menu to enjoy often.

But the recipe I am introducing today is different! We will boldly skip the cumbersome deep-frying process and show you the perfect secret to making crispy on the outside and moist on the inside candied sweet potatoes using just one frying pan with less oil. Since it is baked instead of fried, it is healthier and perfect as a nutritious snack for children or a sweet teatime dessert for adults. I have included the golden ratio for making syrup that even beginners in cooking will never fail at, along with great tips, so follow along step by step.

1. Perfect Ingredient Preparation for Candied Sweet Potatoes

The start of delicious cooking begins with preparing fresh and good ingredients. You can create a wonderful dish with just the basic seasonings you have at home without any special ingredients.

  • Main Ingredient: 2 to 3 sweet potatoes (If they are of average size, 2 is enough; if they are small, prepare about 3 to allow a family of three to enjoy plenty. Using chestnut sweet potatoes gives a fluffy texture, while pumpkin sweet potatoes offer a sweeter and softer texture, so choose according to your preference.)
  • Syrup Ingredients: 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of oligosaccharide, 3 tablespoons of water (Mixing sugar and oligosaccharide creates a subtle sweetness and an appetizing syrup with a brilliant gloss.)
  • Finishing Ingredient: A little bit of sesame seeds (Using black sesame seeds can give a visually more luxurious feel.)
  • Others: A suitable amount of cooking oil for pan-frying

2. Step-by-Step Cooking Method Without Failure

Now, let us get into making the no-fry candied sweet potatoes in earnest. If you follow the cooking order well, anyone can produce a taste comparable to specialty stores.

  1. Preparing the Sweet Potatoes

First, wash the surface of the prepared sweet potatoes thoroughly under running water. The skin is rich in nutrients like dietary fiber, so it is good to cook it with the skin on, but if you want a softer texture, use a potato peeler to peel the skin cleanly. Cut the peeled sweet potatoes roughly into bite-sized pieces. If the corners are too sharp, they can easily burn when pan-frying, so rounding them slightly is also a good method.

  1. Removing Starch and Wiping off Moisture

The chopped sweet potatoes should be soaked in cold water for about 5 minutes to remove the starch. This process prevents the surface from burning easily when baking the sweet potatoes and makes the outside crispier. After removing the starch, drain the sweet potatoes on a strainer and meticulously use a paper towel to perfectly remove any remaining moisture. If moisture remains, oil can splatter everywhere when pan-frying in the pan, which is dangerous, so removing moisture is a very important step.

  1. Pan-Frying in a Frying Pan (The Core No-Fry Secret!)

After heating a wide frying pan over medium-low heat, pour a generous amount of cooking oil compared to normal cooking. (You do not need to pour it out like deep frying, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan is sufficient.) Place the perfectly dried sweet potatoes so they do not overlap and bake them slowly. If the heat is too strong, only the outside will burn and the inside will not cook, so it is best to maintain a temperature between low and medium heat. Stir gently with a cooking spoon so that the front, back, and sides of the sweet potatoes become evenly golden brown. When you poke it with a chopstick and it goes in smoothly, it is perfectly cooked.

  1. Removing Excess Oil

Take the well-baked golden sweet potatoes out of the pan and place them briefly on a paper towel. Through this process, the excess oil left on the surface drains out, allowing you to enjoy a cleaner and crispier Mattang. In fact, grabbing and eating them just like this is very delicious with the unique sweetness and nuttiness of the sweet potato!

  1. Making the Golden Ratio Syrup That Never Fails

Now it is time to make the flower of the candied sweet potato, the syrup. Wipe the pan where you baked the sweet potatoes lightly or prepare a new pan. Put 3 tablespoons of water, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of oligosaccharide into the pan and turn on low heat. Here is the most important and unforgettable core point! Absolutely do not stir the syrup with a spoon or tool. If you stir before the sugar melts, the sugar will crystallize, the syrup will harden, and hard crystals will form. Just slightly tilt the pan and let it melt naturally.

  1. Tossing Sweet Potatoes in Syrup

If you leave it still over low heat, the syrup will start to bubble from the edges. When the syrup boils up entirely, the sugar melts completely, and it starts to take on a slightly transparent brown color, quickly put the pre-baked sweet potatoes into the pan at this exact moment. Turn off the heat or reduce it to a very low state, and quickly toss the sweet potatoes using a spatula so that the syrup coats the surface evenly. If the syrup boils down too much, it will harden, so working quickly is crucial.

  1. Finishing with Sesame Seeds and Cooling

Once beautifully coated with syrup, sprinkle sesame seeds or black sesame seeds to finish. Spread the completed candied sweet potatoes on paper foil or a lightly oiled wide tray with space between them so they do not stick to each other and let them cool off. If you stack them while they are hot, they will tangle together and become hard to separate. Once cooled, the candied sweet potatoes boast the best texture, crispy as if covered with a thin candy film on the outside, and fluffy and moist like roasted sweet potatoes on the inside.

3. Utilization Tips and Storage Methods to Enjoy Even More

  • Adding Various Nuts: Instead of sesame seeds, generously sprinkling and tossing nuts like sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or peanuts doubles the nutty flavor and crunchy texture, making it an even more luxurious dessert.
  • The Charm of Cinnamon Powder: Sprinkling cinnamon powder, which boasts a perfect match with sweet potatoes, when tossing the syrup adds a subtle cinnamon scent, allowing you to produce the luxurious flavor of Mattang sold in cafes.
  • Harmony with Ice Cream: Try placing the finished candied sweet potatoes on top of vanilla ice cream and enjoying them together. The harmony of the warm, crispy Mattang and the cold, smooth ice cream is truly fantastic. I strongly recommend it as a dessert for entertaining guests.
  • Storage Method: It is best to cool the leftover candied sweet potatoes completely, put them in an airtight container, and store them at room temperature. If they go into the refrigerator, the syrup on the surface may melt or become soggy, so it is recommended to consume them at room temperature preferably on the same day or the next day. If you unavoidably had to refrigerate them, lightly popping them in the air fryer before eating can revive the crispiness to some extent.

4. Wrapping Up

If you have been putting off making candied sweet potatoes due to the burden of having to use a whole bottle of oil, take the challenge right now with this recipe. Just baking them golden brown in a frying pan is enough to produce an excellent texture, and above all, the biggest charm of this recipe is that cleaning up after cooking is simple. A single sweet and crispy candied sweet potato will bring a smile to children's faces and serve as a wonderful sweet snack for stress relief for adults. I hope you add sweet and warm happiness to your dining table today with the healthy and delicious crispy-outside, soft-inside candied sweet potatoes. Go wash the sweet potatoes right now!