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Sweet Potato Brown Rice with Soy and Scallions

Sweet Potato Brown Rice with Soy and Scallions

By Courtney HillDecember 7, 2021

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    50 minutes
  • Active time plus cooling
    10 minutes active

Goguma-bap is a traditional Korean dish of sweet potatoes (goguma) and cooked rice (bap). Our take has a pure sweet potato flavor accented by chewy short-grain rice; we prefer the nuttiness of brown short-grain rice for added complexity. The sweet potatoes and rice usually are steamed together plain, then seasoned at the table with a mixture of soy sauce and chives. We opt to season the sweet potatoes with just a little of this sauce before cooking to make them especially flavorful. Pungent, garlicky Chinese chives resemble thick blades of grass; if you can get them from your local Asian supermarket, use them in place of the scallions. The Korean red pepper commonly used in this dish are called gochugaru, but regular red pepper flakes work perfectly well.

Tip

Don’t cut the sweet potatoes too large or they will not cook in the same time as it take the rice to soften. Also, be sure to keep an eye on your saucepan as the dish steams; if you see large amounts of steam coming from the lid, quickly uncover to allow the built-up steam to escape, then recover, reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking.

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

  • 1-1 ½

    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

Step 1

In a large saucepan, combine the rice and 1¾ cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium, then reduce to low, cover and cook without stirring for 15 minutes.

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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 until both the potatoes and rice are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 4

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.