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Kimchi Sweet Potato Burgers with Butter Lettuce Wraps

These Kimchi Sweet Potato Burgers are packed with corn, kimchi and hot peppers. Seasoned with furikake and soy sauce, these burgers deliver umami-rich flavor wrapped in butter lettuce and gim.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Korean
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ssam Sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp doenjang
  • 1 tbsp gochujang
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Kimchi Sweet Potato Burgers
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ear corn kernels cut from the cob
  • 4 serrano peppers thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup cooked Jasmine rice
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½ cup kimchi coarsely chopped
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp furikake**
  • 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil I used canola oil
  • 12 sheets gim (Korean roasted seaweed)
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 1 head butter lettuce leaves separated, washed and dried

Method
 

For the Ssam Sauce
  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Burgers
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
  2. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle each potato with a generous pinch of salt and wrap tightly in tin foil. Transfer the potatoes to the oven and roast for 1 hour or until fork-tender.
  3. Unwrap the potatoes and slice them down the middle. Let cool. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skin and place it in a large bowl. Discard the skins.
  4. Add the corn, peppers, scallions, egg, rice, breadcrumbs, kimchi, soy sauce, furikake, and black sesame seeds. Use your hands to evenly disperse and fully integrate the ingredients. Using a ⅓ cup measure as a guide, form the mixture into 10-12 patties.
  5. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches, fry the sweet potato patties until crisp and golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
  6. While the patties are still hot, wrap a sheet of gim around the base of each patty. Top each patty with slices of avocado and wrap them i 1 or 2 lettuce leaves around them. Arrange the burgers on a platter and serve immediately with ssam sauce on the side.

Notes

**If you are vegetarian, make sure you select a furikake without bonito flakes.