Sweet and Spicy Thick-Cut Gamja Jorim (Braised Potatoes)
A side dish made by stir-frying thick-cut potatoes in oil and then braising them in a sweet and spicy seasoning.
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 side dish features potatoes cut over 1 cm thick and thoroughly braised in a sweet and spicy sauce. Stir-frying the potatoes in oil first keeps them from breaking apart while braising, and the fluffy potatoes are wonderful to mash with the sauce and mix into rice.
- Servings
- 3–4 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Potato4, 460 g
- Onion1/2
- Large green onion (daepa)1/2 stalk
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)1
- Red chili pepper1
- Water1 1/2 cups
- Broth tablet1 tablet
Seasoning
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))2 tbsp
- Oyster sauce1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1/2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1/2 tbsp
- You can pour in 1 1/2 cups of water and add 1 broth tablet, or simply pour in anchovy broth.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
4 peeled potatoes, onion, large green onion, red chili pepper, and Cheongyang chili pepper.
Chop the ingredients
I cut the potatoes into thick, large chunks over 1 cm thick, just like the potatoes in dakbokkeumtang or gamjatang.
You can think of it as about twice the thickness of regular braised potatoes.
Chop the onion, large green onion, and chili peppers into bite-size pieces.
Stir-fry the potatoes
Grease a pan with cooking oil and stir-fry the potatoes.
Stir-frying them until the outside turns slightly translucent like this makes the exterior chewy so the potatoes do not easily break apart when braised in liquid.
Pour in 1 1/2 cups of water and add 1 broth tablet, or pour in anchovy broth.
Add seasoning and simmer
Add all the seasonings except the toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds: 2 tbsp gochugaru, 1 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, and 2 tbsp corn syrup, then bring to a boil.
Since the potatoes are thick, cover with a lid and simmer gently until the liquid is reduced by more than half so the inside cooks through.
If you feel the potatoes are not cooked all the way through, you can add more water and continue braising.
Braise
Once the potatoes are somewhat cooked, add the onion, large green onion, and chili peppers, and braise until the liquid is reduced to a shallow simmer.
Finally, turn off the heat and finish by adding the toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.
Complete
Today, instead of making green onion oil, I braised the potatoes right in the seasoning.
Perhaps because the seasoning is identical, it tastes like dakbokkeumtang, and the sauce is truly delicious.
Coat the thick, tender potato flesh with the spicy sauce as you eat.
With this single side dish, you might not even reach for any others.
Ppunwife's tips
- Stir-frying them until the outside turns slightly translucent like this makes the exterior chewy so the potatoes do not easily break apart when braised in liquid.
- Since the potatoes are thick, cover with a lid and simmer gently until the liquid is reduced by more than half so the inside cooks through.
- If you feel the potatoes are not cooked all the way through, you can add more water and continue braising.
FAQ
How do I keep the potatoes from breaking apart while braising?
If you stir-fry the potatoes first in an oiled pan until the outside turns slightly translucent, they will hold their shape and not break apart easily even when braised in liquid.
What should I do if the inside of the potatoes is not fully cooked?
If the potatoes are thick and not cooked through, you can add more water and simmer gently to cook them tender all the way to the center.
Are there any broth ingredients I can use instead of a broth tablet?
Instead of a broth tablet, you can pour in an equal amount of anchovy broth.
How can I adjust the recipe if I want to reduce the heat? AI-generated
In general, you can omit the Cheongyang chili pepper and reduce the amount of gochugaru to make it less spicy.
