Gamja jorim is a simple braised potato dish that’s easy to make, and satisfying to eat. It’s traditionally made with potato, but can be made with sweet potatoes, and you can add carrot for extra sweetness and flavour if you fancy.

I like to serve gamja jorim with simple white rice, gaji namul (seasoned spicy eggplant dish), and a little seasoned seaweed salad. This is a way to put on a fancy-looking and hearty spread of flavoursome food for surprisingly little effort 😉

Let’s get cracking on what’s set to become one of your favourite ways to cook potatoes….! 😀

Flavour: Savoury, sweet & salty

Serves: 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 2 medium potatoes or sweet potatoes
• half a medium onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar – I tend to use palm sugar or rapadura, but raw sugar will do
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• half cup water (you might need more – it will depend on your heat control)

To garnish:

• Finely sliced spring onion, green parts only
• Toasted sesame seeds (you can dry-toast 2 teaspoons sesame seeds in a small skillet – they’ll only take 3-5 minutes to colour up)

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into 2cm x 2cm dice
2. Finely slice onion
3. Cook potatoes in sunflower oil in skillet over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook evenly
4. Add onions to the pan, and continue cooking over high heat for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. Toss in garlic, stir well, and cook for another minute
6. Mix together the sugar, soy sauce and water, and pour it over the potato and onion mixture
7. Turn heat down to medium, and cook until potatoes are cooked through and your sauce is thick – your potatoes should be slightly caramelised, and your sauce should be reduced to just enough to coat the bottom of the pan
8. Take off the heat and transfer to a serving dish
9. Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onions, and serve immediately