What is Gamja Jorim?
Gamja Jorim is a delicious and super easy potato dish. These one-pan potatoes can be cooked in as quickly as 30mins and are a favourite in my household! If you love sweet savoury dishes, you will definitely enjoy these Korean-style soy braised potatoes.
Gamja jorim is commonly served as a delicious banchan (Korean side dish) and can be eaten hot or cold for a refreshing summer’s day treat. I first tasted this dish at a local Korean restaurant a long time ago. I instantly became obsessively addicted to the sweet-savoury flavour combined with the fluffy potato. These soy braised potatoes also had the delicious “QQ” (chewy) texture that many of us Asians adore! It was absolutely irresistible.
Since then, I visited many different Korean restaurants to try and suss out how it’s made. Through trial and error, I have come up with this simple, fast and convenient recipe! This is such a quick and easy dish to make, it’s definitely a family favourite at my house during the week. It’s also a bonus when the ingredients are budget friendly and the clean up is super easy since it’s all cooked in just one pot or pan!
What type of potato should you use for Gamja Jorim?
You can use any type of potatoes for gamja jorim. Of course the texture of the final dish will be slightly different but it will still be tasty. If you use starchy potatoes, you will get a soy braised potato with fluffy texture. If you use waxy or new potatoes, your gamja jorim will have more of a chewy “QQ” texture.
I like to use small baby potatoes for a delicious “QQ” (chewy) texture when they have been chilled. But you can definitely make this just as yummy with regular potatoes too! Just chop them up into smaller bite size pieces first so they cook faster. I like to microwave the potatoes first to save on cooking time, but of course you can start with parboiled or raw potatoes. Just adjust the level of water added in and time to make sure the potatoes cook through before you start to reduce the sauce into the sticky goodness it is.
Give these delicious soy-braised potatoes a try and I’m sure it will become a staple in your house in no time at all!
Gamja Jorim – Korean style soy braised potatoes
Equipment
- Plastic bowl
- Fry pan
- Spatula
- Fork
- Microwave
Ingredients
- 500 g potato baby
- 1 brown onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp soy sauce korean
- 1 tbsp corn syrup or honey
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds toasted
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. If they are quite big, cut them in half. Then place in a microwave-proof bowl and microwave on high for 6mins.
- Heat up 1/2 tbsp of oil in the pan. Add in the potatoes and gently brown over medium-high heat.
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add into the pan and saute for 5 mins, until caramelised and fragrant.
- Add in the water, soy sauce, honey or corn syrup. Reduce the heat and simmer on low for 20mins while stirring occasionally.
- After 15-20mins, the sauce should have reduced and become sticky and potatoes cooked through. Increase the heat and drizzle in the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Stir well to combine and remove from the heat. Serve hot or place in the fridge and serve as a refreshing and delicious cold side dish.
Notes
- This dish can be made naturally coeliac-friendly and gluten free if you use GF soy sauce!
- Small potatoes, around the size of an egg or smaller result in a delicious texture.
- When placed in the fridge to chill, the potatoes change in texture to that of something slightly and pleasantly chewy, or as most Asians refer to as the “QQ” texture.
