Crispy and Chewy Savory Gamja Jeon (Potato Pancake)
A pan-fried pancake dish made by combining grated potato and julienned potato to make it both crispy and chewy.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This pancake dish combines grated potatoes and finely julienned potatoes to bring out both a chewy and crispy texture. Adding Cheongyang chili pepper and large green onion gives it a spicy flavor, and pan-frying it until crisp over high heat with plenty of oil makes it wonderful to enjoy as a snack or light bar snack.
- Servings
- about 2–3 servingsOriginal: 13 pancakes, 7 cm across
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
- Potato4, 570 g
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Red chili pepper1
- Large green onion (daepa)1/5 stalk
- Salt1 tsp
- Potato starch (or korean pancake mix (buchim-garu), flour)4 tbsp
- The red chili pepper is just for color, so you can omit it or use carrot instead.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
I finely julienned 2 potatoes and grated 2 on a box grater.
Lightly drain the liquid from the grated potatoes.
You will need a little bit for the batter, so do not throw away the starchy potato water drained through the sieve.
Finely slice the large green onion and chili peppers into thin rounds.
In a bowl, add the julienned potatoes, grated potatoes, and the minced large green onion and chili peppers.
Adding grated potato improves cohesion, so you need less starch powder.
Make the batter
Pour in the settled potato starch sediment and add 1 tsp of salt to season.
Add 4 tbsp of potato starch and mix, but because there is little moisture, it might not come together easily. Adjust the consistency of the batter by adding 2 to 3 tbsp of the potato water.
If you make the batter dripping wet and runny like other pancake batters, you will not be able to enjoy the chewy and crispy texture of the potato.
Pan-fry
Generously coat a heated pan with oil and spread the batter thinly. It tastes best when you pan-fry it almost like shallow-frying over medium to high heat.
Flip frequently so it does not burn and let it develop good color.
If you pan-fry over low heat for a long time, it will just soak up the oil and turn soggy and greasy, so the key is to spread it thin and fry it at a high temperature.
The aroma of green onion and spicy chili peppers pairs wonderfully with the potato.
It is seasoned well enough that you do not even need vinegar soy sauce, and it makes you crave beer rather than makgeolli.
I ate so many straight from the pan when I was hungry.
Making gamja jeon is not difficult, so whip it up quickly and enjoy it as a weekend snack or light beer snack.
Ppunwife's tips
- You will need a little bit for the batter, so do not throw away the starchy potato water drained through the sieve.
- Adding grated potato improves cohesion, so you need less starch powder.
- If you make the batter dripping wet and runny like other pancake batters, you will not be able to enjoy the chewy and crispy texture of the potato.
- If you pan-fry over low heat for a long time, it will just soak up the oil and turn soggy and greasy, so the key is to spread it thin and fry it at a high temperature.
FAQ
Can I use a different flour or starch instead of potato starch in the batter?
You can substitute 4 tbsp of Korean pancake mix (buchim-garu) or all-purpose flour for the batter.
What should I do if I do not have red chili pepper?
It is an ingredient used for color, so you can omit it or use carrot instead.
Is there a way to make gamja jeon crispy without absorbing too much oil?
Frying over low heat for a long time will make it soggy, so spread the batter thin and pan-fry it over medium to high heat almost like shallow-frying until crispy.
How do I get the right batter consistency?
When there is little moisture and it does not come together, adjust it to a thick consistency by adding 2 to 3 tbsp of the reserved potato water strained from the grated potatoes.
