Gamja Jorim is a very popular Korean potato recipe. It is best described as diced potatoes that are braised in garlic soy-sauce.
This dish is typically served as a banchan at Korean restaurants and very easy to make at home - a perfect beginner's recipe into the world of Korean banchan cooking. If you haven't tried any of our recipes yet, this is a good dish to start with! All you need for Gamja Jorim are potatoes, soy sauce, garlic and corn syrup.
In this Korean potato recipe, we do not want the potatoes to turn soft and crumble apart. The best way to prevent this is to use waxy potatoes (yellow potato, red bliss or round white/red). They have a lower starch content and are often characterized by a creamy, firm and moist flesh that hold its shape well after cooking. Avoid the common russet potato or yukon gold as these turn mushy.
Some cooking notes: You may need to purchase some corn syrup - we use corn syrup to thicken the braising sauce and it also give a nice shine to the potatoes. Also, make sure to remove some of the starch in the potatoes by soaking it in cold water.

Gamja Jorim - A simple potato banchan
Ingredients
- Potato - 3 whole 450 grams, use waxy potatoes
- Onion - ½ whole
- Carrot - ⅕ whole
- Spring onion - 1 Tablespoon
Braising Sauce
- Water - 3 Tablespoon
- Soy sauce - 3 teaspoon
- Minced garlic - 1 teaspoon
- Corn syrup - 1 teaspoon Honey is good too
- Sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
- Sesame seeds - 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Prep Veggies
- Cut potatoes into small ¾ inch pieces. Cut onions into thin slices. Cut carrots into bite-size pieces. Thinly slice spring onions.
- Place potatoes pieces into a bowl and fill with cold water. Let it sit in there for 5 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside.
Braising Sauce
- Mix water, soy sauce, minced garlic, corn syrup together.
Cook Potatoes
- Pour oil into large frying pan and place on medium heat (not high heat!). Cook potatoes in oil until they turn fully translucent (80% cooked through).
- Then add in the onions and carrots. Add braising sauce to the frying pan. Mix over medium heat until all the liquid has evaporated.
- Turn off heat and add sesame oil. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
- You can use honey instead of corn syrup
- Watch video below for more details
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