I'm always on the lookout for new ways to work sweet potatoes into a carb-up. Since I had made a lot of Korean dishes, I was inspired to make something using the kimchi I had left. I read about how Korean fusion food trucks have been caramelizing it to make it into a topping for fries, I decided to make my own take on it.
Vegan Carb-Up Sweet Potato Caramelized Kimchi Fries Recipe
Sweet Potato Fries Ingredients:
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into fries
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon mild chili powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
Caramelized Kimchi Ingredients
- 1 cup homemade kimchi, drained and chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or raw honey (*Or gold erithrytol monk fruit sweetener for a sugar-free alternative.)
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil
Korean Spicy Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon kimchi juice
- 1 teaspoon keto gochugang paste or sriracha
- 1½ tablespoons homemade avocado mayo (*Use vegan mayo for vegan.)
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Optional Toppings:
- 1 green onion, sliced
- Small handful of cilantro, chopped
- Low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated or diced avocado for vegan. (*Only use a small amount to keep this low-fat.)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (white and/or black)
- 3 radishes, thinly sliced
Directions:
Peel the sweet potato and cut it into strips. Soak the sweet potato strips in cold water for 2 hours. Preheat your oven or air fryer to 425F. Mix all spices (except salt) together in a large container. Spray sweet potato fries with cooking spray and add to container. Close it up and shake all the spices together with the fries.
Spread the fries out on a raised baking rack placed on a baking tray. If you don’t a baking rack, place them on a baking tray lines with a silicon mat (you’ll have to flip them halfway through cooking if you don’t have a rack). Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through.
While the chips are baking, prepare the caramelized kimchi, the Korean spicy sauce and other toppings. For the caramelized kimchi, combine the kimchi with coconut sugar (or chosen sweetener), Tamari soy sauce and rice vinegar in a bowl. Heat a tablespoon of avocado oil in a frying pan over high heat and add the kimchi mixture. Cook over high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and slightly sticky. Remove from heat and set aside.
For the Korean spicy sauce, first combine kimchi juice with gojuchang or Sriracha sauce, mayonnaise, and a pinch of salt. Whisk together and set aside.
To serve, spread the fries on a platter or in bowls and sprinkle with fine sea salt to taste. Sprinkle with grated cheese or avocado (if using). Top with caramelized kimchi then drizzle with Korean spicy sauce, then sprinkle on sliced radishes, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Did you make this carb-up sweet potato caramelized kimchi fries recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
