Korean Potato Side Dish Gamja Jorim 감자조림 Food

GAMJA JORIM (BRAISED POTATOES)

Steps:

• Peel and cut potatoes into about 1-inch cubes. Cut the carrot, peppers, and onion into big chunks.
• In a small bowl, combine all the braising liquid ingredients except the sesame oil and seeds. Stir well.
• In a non-stick pan (or a small pot), sauté the potatoes in cooking oil over medium heat for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the potatoes don't stick to the pan.
• Add the sauce mix and bring it to a boil over high heat. Drop the carrot pieces in. Cover, and reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through (about 5 to 6 minutes, depending on the type or size of potatoes). The potatoes should be firm and not mushy.
• Stir in the green peppers and onion, and continue to boil (uncover this time) until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. The potatoes will continue to soak up the sauce even after being cooked. Stir in the sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

GAMJA JORIM (KOREAN BRAISED POTATOES)

Steps:

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

KOREAN POTATO SIDE DISH (GAMJA JORIM)

Steps:

• Rinse potatoes. There is no need to peel if using thin skinned, waxy potatoes. Place them in a pot with enough water to fully cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.
• Add potatoes back to pot, add 2 C water, 3 T soy sauce, sugar, vegetable oil and shitake mushrooms. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 min or until the liquid has reduce to about 1/3 the original volume.
• Uncover, add 2 T maple syrup. Further reduce until there is almost no liquid. Taste and add more (up to 1 tsp) soy sauce or to taste. Simmer while stirring a few more minutes until the added soy sauce has reduced.
• Finish with a swirl or two of sesame oil and sprinkling of sesame seeds.