Crispy and Chewy Gamja Jeon (Potato Pancake) with Starch
A crispy and chewy potato pancake made with julienned potatoes and potato starch without any wheat flour.
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 gamja jeon uses a small amount of potato starch instead of wheat flour to maximize the potato's natural flavor and crispy texture. Julianned potatoes are mixed with garlic chives without rinsing off their starch, keeping the pancake fragrant and never greasy. Pan-fried generously in oil, it makes a wonderful snack or accompaniment for drinks.
- Servings
- about 2 servingsOriginal: 2 pancakes, 20 cm across
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Potato5, 500 g (medium-sized)
- Garlic chives (buchu) (or large green onion (daepa) or onion)70 g
Pancake batter
- Potato starch5 tbsp
- Water5 tbsp
- Salt1/2 tsp
- Instead of garlic chives, you can prepare a similar amount of large green onion or onion to add fragrance.
- If you don't have potato starch, you can use frying mix or Korean pancake mix.
Steps
Prepare ingredients
Prepare 5 medium-sized potatoes and a little bit of garlic chives.
Instead of garlic chives, you can prepare a similar amount of large green onion or onion to add fragrance.
Cut ingredients
Finely julienne the potatoes, and cut the garlic chives into lengths shorter than or similar to the potato strips.
When you julienne the potatoes finely, their natural starch helps them stick together smoothly, allowing you to greatly reduce the amount of starch powder added to the batter.
Make batter
Add the julienned potatoes and garlic chives to a bowl...
Add about 1/2 tsp of salt and 5 tbsp of potato starch.
If you don't have potato starch, you can use frying mix or Korean pancake mix.
Because the potatoes contain their own moisture, you don't need to add much water.
Start by adding 3 tbsp of water first, then mix while adding 1 to 2 tbsp more, just enough so that no dry powder remains and the batter lightly coats the surface of the potato strips.
Pan-fry
Heat the pan over high heat, add cooking oil generously, spread the batter thin onto the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, shake the pan occasionally to check how well the bottom is cooked, and flip it over.
For the potato pancake to become crispy, it needs plenty of oil, so add more oil after flipping and shake the pan so it cooks evenly and crisply.
Finish
Crispy gamja jeon is complete.
It turned out nicely golden brown all over.
The subtle fragrance of garlic chives makes it much less greasy and more enjoyable than pan-frying with potatoes alone.
Pan-frying the julienned potatoes directly without rinsing their starch in water gives them a chewy yet crispy texture.
Also, needing less starch means less water is needed, allowing you to enjoy the natural flavor of potatoes.
With rain in the forecast for a few days, I greet you for the weekend with this pancake.
Ppunwife's tips
- When you julienne the potatoes finely, their natural starch helps them stick together smoothly, allowing you to greatly reduce the amount of starch powder added to the batter.
- For the potato pancake to become crispy, it needs plenty of oil, so add more oil after flipping and shake the pan so it cooks evenly and crisply.
- Pan-frying the julienned potatoes directly without rinsing their starch in water gives them a chewy yet crispy texture.
FAQ
What can I substitute if I don't have potato starch?
If you don't have potato starch, you can substitute frying mix (twigim-garu) or Korean pancake mix (buchim-garu).
Is there a substitute for garlic chives?
Instead of garlic chives, adding a similar amount of julienned large green onion or onion will also bring great fragrance.
Should I rinse the julienned potatoes in water to remove starch?
Use them as they are without rinsing in water; the potato's own starch is what brings out the chewy yet crispy texture.
Are there any tips to make the pancake crispier?
Preheat the pan over high heat first, pour cooking oil generously, and replenish the oil after flipping while shaking the pan so it cooks evenly to become crispy.
