Gamja Salad Food

KOREAN POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Make hard-boiled eggs - use your favorite method but I usually like to start cooking the egg in cold water on medium-high, bring to a boil, cover then turn heat off and leave for 10 minutes. When eggs are done, put them in ice water, peel them.
• Roughly chop cooked eggs into small pieces. If you want to garnish the top with egg yolk, set aside 1 egg yolk and leave it uncut.
• Peel potatoes and carrots. Cut potatoes into 3/4 inch thick discs then further into 1 inch or so squares. Cut carrots into 1/2 inch discs then cut the thicker parts into halves. Basically, you want the carrots to be about 1/2 the side of a potato.
• Add potatoes to a pot and add enough water to fully cover it and then some. Add about 1/8 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and then boil on medium heat for 8-9 minutes then add the carrots. Cook about 8 minutes more until the potatoes kind of crumble when cutting with a fork and the carrots should be just softly cooked but not mush.
• While potatoes are cooking, cut cucumbers into cubes.
• Cut the apple into cubes. For color, you can just core them and cut with peels on. But if your apple is not organic or is waxed, peel it and then cut into cubes.
• Drain potatoes and carrots. Set aside and let it cool.
• In a large bowl, add potatoes, carrots, cucumbers and apples.
• To the bowl, add mayonnaise and gently mix them all up. Then add chopped eggs. Mix again.
• Add salt and sugar to taste. (About 3/8 to 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar to my basic 2 potato salad).
• Mix and taste again. By now, potatoes will most likely have disintegrated and become total mush as you see in the picture and that's how it should be. But it's also fine if it is still holding shape.
• Optionally, using a sieve, grate the egg yolk on top of the potato salad.
• Serve room temperature or cold from the fridge.

KOREAN POTATO SALAD (GAMJA SALAD)

Steps:

• Wash/scrub the potatoes (you can use Russet or Yukon Gold) and put in a pot of cold water. Add about a teaspoonful of salt and bring to a boil, then simmer until cooked (check by inserting a skewer or toothpick into the center). Remove the potatoes and put on a plate, but do not discard the water.
• Bring the water to a boil and add the carrots for one minute, then remove. Chop the carrots into small pieces.
• Peel the potatoes while still warm. Mash half or more of the potatoes in a large bowl, and chop the rest into bite sized pieces.
• In a jug or medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, pinch of sugar and black pepper until a smooth consistency is acheived.
• Add the chopped potatoes, carrots, celery, cucumber, and apples to the bowl of mashed potatoes. You can mix or omit whatever you choose. Traditional gamja salad doesn't have celery, but I sometimes add it. Sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt, and black pepper, if desired.
• Pour the creamy dressing over the vegetables and fruit. Mix well.
• Add the chopped hard boiled eggs and mix again, gently. Once mixed, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can just serve as is in a bowl (I added a celery leaf).
• Or you can make individual servings in bowls using an ice cream scoop, which is the traditional way to serve it with Korean bbq.

GAMJA SALAD WITH CUCUMBER, CARROT AND RED ONION

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, red onion and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside to sweat slightly.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the carrot and cook until tender-crisp, 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
• Add the cubed potato and egg to the boiling water. Cook the egg for 10 minutes and the potatoes until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. While the potato finishes cooking, run the hard-boiled egg under cold tap water. Peel the egg, finely chop it, then add it to a medium bowl. When the potato is cooked, transfer to the bowl with the egg and mash with a fork until uniform.
• Add the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar to the mashed potato mixture and stir to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Squeeze the salted cucumber and red onion with your hands (discarding any liquid), and fold them into the potato and egg mixture along with the cooked carrot.
• To serve, scoop the potato salad onto a plate using an ice cream scoop, and eat warm or at room temperature. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This salad even tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge.)

GAMJA HOT DOG

Steps:

• Pat dry the hot dogs and thread each three-quarters of the way onto an 8-inch wooden skewer. Set aside.
• Spread the fries in a large shallow dish or baking sheet.
• Heat 3 to 4 inches of oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 350 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk the milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Add the liquid to the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Add a tablespoon of milk if needed to loosen the batter. Pour the batter into a tall drinking glass, reserving any extra batter. Put some flour on a plate for dredging the hot dogs.
• Dredge a hot dog first in the flour, then dip into the glass of batter and swirl and twist up slowly to pull out; let the excess drip back into the glass. (Be careful when lifting back up, as the batter is very sticky.) Once the hot dog is completely covered with batter, lay it on the bed of fries and sprinkle some fries on top until mostly covered. Roll the hot dog and then secure the fries in place by patting and packing them in gently. Repeat with a second hot dog.
• Lower both hot dogs into the hot oil one at a time and fry, turning, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Remove the hot dogs with tongs and drain on a cooling rack or paper towel-lined plate; season with salt. Continue to coat and fry the hot dogs in batches of 2, refilling the glass with batter as needed. Serve with ketchup and mustard for dipping.