Gamjajeon is a variety of Korean savory pancake made with grated or ground potatoes. It’s a humble dish that can simply be made with potatoes. But, a little bit of onion helps prevent discoloring of the potatoes without overpowering their flavor. This is a basic recipe, but you can add other vegetables such as garlic chives (buchu), chili peppers, and/or perilla leaves (kkaennip) if you like.


You can grate the potatoes or grind them in a blender or a food processor. I like to grate them on a grater for a coarse texture. Whichever method you use, you need to remove some water content from the grated potatoes, or it will be too watery for a pancake batter. Do not throw away the drained water since it contains valuable starch. Let the starch water sit for a while until the starch sinks to the bottom and forms a dense, white layer. Carefully pour out the water, and use the starch in the batter. This is the traditional way to make a potato pancake batter without adding flour or powder starch.

Makes 2 large pancakes

Ingredients:

1/4 medium onion

2 large or 3 medium potatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

oil for pan frying

Peel and grate the onion (about 2 to 3 tablespoons). Place in a large bowl. Peel and grate the potatoes, capturing the liquid. If using a blender or food processor, grind the onion and potatoes together.

Drain the grated potato in a bowl lined with a strainer, reserving the liquid. Immediately transfer the potato to the bowl with the grated onion, and mix well.

Let the reserved potato liquid sit for about 10 minutes. The starch in the liquid will sink to the bottom. Carefully pour out the water, saving the starch. Add the starch and salt to the potato mix. Stir to combine well.

Heat a skillet with two tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add 1/2 of the batter, and spread it evenly into a round shape. You can make smaller pancakes if you like. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until the bottom is light golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve hot with a dipping sauce.

For more recipes visit www.koreanbapsang.com.

By Ro Hyo-sun