[Korean Recipes] Gamja Jorim (Korean Braised Potatoes)

Delicious Korean potato side dish – Gamja Jorim Recipe! Learn how to make Korean braised potatoes using baby potatoes.

Soy sauce braised baby potatoes are a popular Korean side dish. It’s called algamja jorim (알감자 조림) in Korean. I used to love having these little cuties in my school lunch box.

Baby potatoes are soft inside but the outer layer is somewhat sticky, chewy and it’s irresistibly delicious. What’s more, it’s coated with sweet and salty braising sauce, making it a perfect side dish to simple steamed rice.

The picture below shows the type of potatoes I used for this recipe. I particularly loved the texture of baby red royale potatoes, which apparently is a perfect variety for roasting.

The ideal size of baby potato is quail’s egg size. However, I couldn’t find that size baby potatoes, so I used regular egg size baby potatoes and cut these into half.
Bear in mind that when the potato is cut in half, the area that is not covered with potato skin can become a bit brittle while cooking. So try to be gentle when turning them over.
In a typical Korean braised potato recipe, potatoes are usually boiled first then braised later. However, I couldn’t get the potato skin texture I wanted by boiling them. Also, some potato skin got peeled off during the boiling process. I don’t know why this happened, but I was able to get the texture I wanted by pan frying or roasting the potatoes first.

INGREDIENTS FOR GAMJA JORIM (KOREAN BRAISED POTATOES)
MAIN

• 1kg / 35 ounces baby potatoes (red or white), skin on
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil (I used rice bran oil)
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp honey (or your choice of sweetened syrup) 
• 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• BRAISING SAUCE
• 5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice wine
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml

HOW TO MAKE GAMJA JORIM

1. Rinse the potatoes thoroughly – use a scrubber to remove any dirt if needed. (I used pre-washed potatoes and it was very easy to clean them.) Trim off any bruised spots if needed. Cut the potatoes in half if your potatoes are bigger than a small egg.

2. Preheat a large (shallow) braising pot over medium high heat. Add some oil (1 Tbsp) and spread it well. Add the potatoes and drizzle more oil (1 Tbsp) over them. Pan fry the potatoes over medium heat for about 25 mins. Turn them around often to avoid burning.

Alternatively, you could roast the potatoes in the oven at 200 C / 392 F for 30 mins. I actually prefer oven roasting as it’s less hands on.

3. Once the outer layer of potato is nicely cooked and browned, add the water and the braising sauce. Bring it to boil over medium high heat (about 2 mins). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the potatoes until the most sauce is boiled away (about 15 mins), leaving about 5-6 Tbsp worth sauce in the pot.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the honey, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Gently toss to coat while you continue to simmer until the sauce thickens (another 15 mins). Potatoes should be all cooked by now.

However, continue to simmer to achieve darker colored potatoes (because it looks more appealing) and to make the sauce stickier. You may turn the heat up to medium to quicken this process. Stir often. Remove from the heat.

4. Serve with a bowl of steamed rice. The potatoes taste better once cooled down for about 30 mins in the fridge.

HOW TO STORE

You can refrigerate the braised potatoes in an air tight container for 3 to 4 days. It tastes best on the day of making it though. You can serve them cold or reheated.

GAMJA JORIM (KOREAN BRAISED POTATOES)

Korean braised potato recipe using baby potatoes. It's sweet and salty making it a perfect side dish to simple steamed rice.
Course: Side dishes
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: gamja jorim, korean braised potatoes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour


Ingredients

MAIN
▢ 1 kg baby potatoes (red or white), skin on, (35 ounces)
▢ 1 cup water
▢ 2 Tbsp cooking oil , I used rice bran oil
▢ 2 Tbsp honey (or your choice of sweetened syrup)
▢ 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
▢ 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

BRAISING SAUCE
▢ 5 Tbsp soy sauce
▢ 2 Tbsp rice wine
▢ 2 Tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

1. Rinse the potatoes thoroughly – use a scrubber to remove any dirt if needed. (I used pre-washed potatoes and it was very easy to clean them.) Trim off any bruised spots if needed. Cut the potatoes in half if your potatoes are bigger than a small egg.
2. Preheat a large (shallow) braising pot over medium high heat. Add some oil (1 Tbsp) and spread it well. Add the potatoes and drizzle more oil (1 Tbsp) over them. Pan fry the potatoes over medium heat for about 25 mins. Turn them around often to avoid burning. 
3. Alternatively, you could roast the potatoes in the oven at 200 C / 392 F for 30 mins. I actually prefer oven roasting as it’s less hands on.
4. Once the outer layer of potato is nicely cooked and browned, add the water and the braising sauce. Bring it to boil over medium high heat (about 2 mins). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the potatoes until the most sauce is boiled away (about 15 mins), leaving about 5-6 Tbsp worth sauce in the pot.
5. Reduce the heat to low. Add the honey, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Gently toss to coat while you continue to simmer until the sauce thickens (another 15 mins). Potatoes should be all cooked by now.
6. Continue to simmer to achieve darker colored potatoes (because it looks more appealing) and to make the sauce stickier. You may turn the heat up to medium to quicken this process. Stir often. Remove from the heat. 
7. Serve with a bowl of steamed rice. The potatoes taste better once cooled down for about 30 mins in the fridge

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Mykoreankitchen.com. Thanks so much!