Braised Potatoes Easy Korean Side Dish

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Braised Potatoes (gamja-jorim)

In Korean this popular Banchan (aka side dish) is called “gamja-jorim” its translation is “potato-braised”.

I have found even the most non-adventurous eaters love this braised potato side dish and tend to ask for more. Also, generally, braised potatoes are kid approved! We have 4 kids and even though they are exposed to a variety of Korean and Filipino dishes, they are surprisingly picking at times. However, our kids love these cute braised potatoes.

Gamja-jorim is a sweet, savory and non-spicy side dish. The main ingredients are baby potatoes (size smaller than a golf ball), soy sauce, garlic and honey. Although a simple side dish, you will find braised potatoes are made in various ways.

Maangchi’s braised potatoes are my favorite, however, her recipe requires babysitting and shaking the pan constantly. Her braised potatoes are perfectly wrinkly and chewy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, simply delicious! However, if you are a multitasker like myself, easily distracted (by kids, etc.) but have all the intentions to babysit a dish this method has a couple of risks. The risks are ending up with burnt and/or unevenly cooked potatoes. I needed an easier recipe. Some suggest an easy method is oven roasting the potatoes first and braising in a pan after the potatoes are fully cooked. I needed something simpler, less steps.

I have tried various Korean braised potato recipes because the goal was not just delicious, but I needed a recipe that was easy and simple to make. My recipe is inspired from a few recipes and cooking methods. Flavorful with beautiful wrinkles on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

I brown the potatoes similar to Maangchi in the beginning for those sought after wrinkles then use water while braising as the main way to ensure the potatoes are evenly and fully cooked. This allows me to step away for a few minutes to tend to my kids or put out fires (no pun intended).

Braised Potatoes Easy Korean Side Dish can be served warm or cold. Either way, they are easy to make and delicious and pair perfectly with Korean BBQ!

Braised Potatoes Easy Korean Side Dish Ingredients

• 1 pound of baby potatoes, washed, blemishes removed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Wash and remove any blemishes off the potatoes. Cut any of the larger potatoes in half so the potatoes are fairly same in size for even cooking.
2. In a large skillet or thick pan, heat on medium/high then add vegetable oil and potatoes. Stir for 5 minutes until potatoes start to brown.
3. Add water, soy sauce, honey and garlic. Simmer on medium for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked and sauce is completely reduced. Be sure to stir occasionally so potatoes cook evenly.
4. Turn the heat off and add sesame oil and seeds. Mix.
5. Serve hot or cold. Can be refrigerated up to 4 days.