Chewy Gamja Jorim (Braised Potatoes) That Won't Break
A chewy soy sauce side dish made by salting and macerating potatoes in corn syrup to draw out moisture before braising.
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 recipe uses corn syrup and salt instead of water to first draw the moisture out of the potatoes. Because the potatoes do not break apart easily, they stay pleasantly chewy yet tender for a long time. Simmering them down in their own released juices with a soy sauce seasoning makes a neat and tidy side dish.
- Servings
- about 3–4 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Potato3, 400 g (medium)
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)3 tbsp
- Salt1/2 tsp
Seasoning
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce1/2 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1/2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1/2 tbsp
- Mix evenly and let marinate for 30 minutes.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare 3 peeled potatoes (400 g).
Prepare the potatoes
Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks or thick flat squares.
Rinse in water to wash away the starch.
Macerate in corn syrup and salt
Add 1/2 tsp salt and 3 tbsp corn syrup (mulyeot) to the potatoes...
Mix evenly and let marinate for 30 minutes.
The salt seasons the inside of the potatoes, and osmosis caused by the corn syrup draws out plenty of liquid.
Do not discard the released liquid, as we will add seasonings to it and braise down.
Simmer
Pour the potatoes along with their released liquid into a pan, then add 1 tbsp regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang), 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, and 2 tbsp mirin (cooking rice wine).
Turn the heat to high, and once it comes to a full boil, lower to medium-low and braise while stirring.
If the potato pieces feel large, cover with a lid and let them steam for about 3 minutes as they braise so they cook through tenderly to the center.
Once cooked through to the inside, open the lid and simmer down until only a small amount of liquid remains.
Turn off the heat at the end, then stir in 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil and 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds to finish.
Complete
After several attempts, I recreated this side dish just like the ones served at famous restaurants.
Because the potatoes do not break apart, they keep their neat look and clean, savory flavor even when kept for a few days.
Ppunwife's tips
- Instead of adding water, macerating the potatoes in corn syrup to draw out moisture and using that liquid to braise produces chewy, tender braised potatoes that never break apart.
- If the potato pieces feel large, cover with a lid and let them steam for about 3 minutes as they braise so they cook through tenderly to the center.
- The tip is to draw out moisture with salt and corn syrup before braising, and use less soy sauce than usual so it takes on just a light soy color.
FAQ
Why do you macerate the potatoes in corn syrup and salt?
Drawing out moisture in advance through osmosis prevents the potatoes from breaking apart easily during cooking and helps the seasoning penetrate evenly to the inside.
Should I discard the liquid drawn from the potatoes after macerating?
Do not discard it; pour it directly into the pan and use it as the braising liquid along with the other seasonings.
How should I cook large potato pieces?
Cover with a lid and let them steam for about 3 minutes while braising to cook them evenly tender to the center.
Can I use oligosaccharide syrup instead of corn syrup for macerating? AI-generated
Yes, you can generally substitute oligosaccharide syrup for corn syrup to draw out the moisture.
