The Back Yard Lemon Tree

My favorite thing about eating out at Korean restaurants is all the little side dishes or banchan that come out before the meal, that often make the main meal slightly redundant. My absolute favorite banchan is gamja jorim. Sweet, salty, crispy potatoes – How can you go wrong? The thing was, I never felt I got enough of these potatoes when eating out. Those banchan sides are tiny, so I would always be left yearning for more.

These potatoes are also best served at room temperature so if you’re planning a big dinner spread it’s a good dish to make a couple of hours before. The first time I made these potatoes I ended up eating half of them before dinner. After making them a few times, I finally feel I am able to exercise a bit of restraint and resist snacking or at least content myself with having one or two pieces before dinner, because these potatoes are still irresistible. Satisfy your craving and make them now.

Notes on the Recipe

There’s a lot of recipes for Gamja Jorim out there but I like this one because it is very simple. You can add other vegetables – carrots, onions and peppers are all authentic additions to this dish but I prefer to stick with just potatoes – everything else is a distraction as far as I’m concerned.

If you like a bit of heat add some 1 tablespoon of gochujang (Korean chilli paste) or 1-2 teaspoons of gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) to the braising sauce.

The Korean syrup is a traditional rice syrup sweetener and is much less sweet than maple syrup or honey so adjust the sweetener according to taste.

Gamja Jorim (Korean Braised Potatoes)

Adapted from Okonomi Kitchen

• 500 grams (1Lb) potatoes (waxy potatoes are recommended but most potatoes work well)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of neutral flavoured cooking oil
• Sesame Seeds
• Sesame Oil

For the braising Sauce

• 1 large clove garlic (Minced)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (or use more soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon mirin or sake
• 1-2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon (or to taste) of Korean syrup, maple syrup or honey
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water

1. Mix all ingredients of braising sauce together with water and set aside.
2. Chop potato in about 2 cm cubes. Rinse potatoes in colander to remove starch. If your potatoes are very starchy you can soak the potatoes for a few minutes in water before draining. Don’t soak the potatoes for too long though, they will become waterlogged. Pat potatoes dry with a bit of paper towel,
3. Heat oil in a pan to medium high ( I use a high sided frying pan) Pan fry potatoes for about 4-6 minutes until potatoes are crispy and golden brown.
4. Add braising liquid to pan, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir potatoes round pan, lower heat and braise potatoes in pan with the lid, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a knife. Take care not to overcook or you will have mushy potatoes.
5. Once potatoes are cooked, uncover pan increase heat and allow the sauce to thicken. Once sauce has thickened remove from heat, drizzle potatoes with sesame oil and sprinkle sesame over the top.
6. Serve at room temperature. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for several days.