The land of Korea is almost 70% hills and mountains, so it is only natural that very many Koreans enjoy hiking in their free time. Growing up in Seoul, I used to go up hiking into the small hills or mountains around Seoul with my parents. Although I am not necessarily athletic and didn’t necessarily love the hard work of hiking itself :P, I really miss going out to the mountains to enjoy mountain food. Most Korean mountain food is normally vegan, so apart from being delicious, that’s another reason for us to love it.
Despite Koreans love for hiking, you’ll hear many Koreans joke about how hiking isn’t really about hiking itself — it’s really all about the mountain food, such as namul dishes, pancakes, acorn jelly, and rice wines that go with the mountain food (makgeoli or dongdongju). When Bill and I visited Gyeongju, one of Bill’s favorite memories was eating at the mountain food restaurant right under the beautiful Bulguksa temple. I remember getting some fresh namul dishes along with some pancakes. So yum.
Anyway, one my of my very favorite mountain foods is Gamja-jun (감자전) – potato pancakes. It is such a simple flavor, and yet sooo good. You dip potato pancakes in a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, vinegar, gochugaru, sesame seeds, and green onions (or white onions). Koreans eat a lot of pancakes when it rains too; you’ll see a ton of families cooking onion pancakes or potato pancakes when it rains in Korea. Neighbors often get together to enjoy pancakes when it rains as well.
It rained in the late afternoon today here in Indiana (rain that was much needed!), and I felt like it would be so nice to go hiking in one of the mountains in Seoul, and get some mountain food. I miss that so much. So I made Gamja-jun! Chewy, crispy, crunchy and yummy gamma-jun – here you go! 😉
Gamja-jun (Korean Potato Pancakes) Recipe!
Pancake Ingredients:
5 big potatoes
several pinches of salt
some chopped veggies (such as chives, zucchini, pepper, green onions, etc.)
1 tbs of potato starch (optional)
Sauce Ingredients:
soy sauce
vinegar
pinch of gochugaru
sesame seeds (add sesame oil if you’d like as well)
chopped green or white onions
Directions:
1. Add the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Matchstick chop the veggies and set in a separate bowl.
3. Put the potato cubes into a food processor and process it. If you want it to be chewy and soft, thoroughly process it so it’s very soft. If you want it to have some more texture, grind it so it’s less soft.But either way, it has to be a pretty creamy texture when you grind it.
4. Put it in a strainer/cheese cloth so the liquid comes out. I like to use a cheese cloth because it’s just a lot faster that way. The less watery it is, the crunchier it will be; if you leave some liquid, it will be chewier and softer!
5. Once you let the liquid sit for a couple of minutes, you’ll find that some potato starch has settled at the bottom of the bowl. You want to throw out the water and then mix the settled potato starch back into your batter (optional: you can add a spoonful of packaged potato starch if you’d like your pancake to have a chewier texture).
6. Add the matchstick veggies and several pinches of salt to the batter.
7. Heat your pan on medium-high heat, add a good amount of vegetable oil to your pan to cover the bottom of the pan and use a spoon to scoop in either several small circles of pancake batter or a single large pancake. Cook the pancake until the bottom is browned and then flip and cook the other side. You want your pancakes to be golden yellow or brown so they are crispy.
8. Serve with the sauce (and some makgeoli or dongdongju if you are having it as drinking food).Yum… so easy and so good. Enjoy!
Here we have processed the potatoes so the gamja-jun will be softer.
Strain the potatoes in a cheese cloth to get out the water. Leave more water in for a chewier pancake, less for a crunchier pancake.
Add salt and whatever vegetables you are using and mix. I used Korean zuchhini and green onions today.
Add the batter to a heated pan with oil. You can make small or large pancakes.
Flip the pancakes when they have browned on the bottom.
When both sides are golden brown, they are ready to eat. Yumm….
Serve with the dipping sauce.
Mmm……, so yummy and satisfying – crispy and chewy gamja-jun on a rainy day (with a bowl of makgeoli!) 😛
FAQs
Potato pancakes have a creamy, almost mashed-potato-like center, with a thin, golden, crisp exterior. Latkes, on the other hand, should have a deeply browned crust, with wispy, lacy edges. Latkes also aren't hash browns.
Why are my potato pancakes gummy? ›
If you don't drain the moisture, they won't crisp as easily and that may be why your potato pancakes are gummy. Feel the Heat. Sufficiently heating oil in the pan prior to placing the patty in the pan is the key to a properly crispy pancake.
Why won t my potato pancakes stay together? ›
If the potato pancakes are falling apart while you're shaping them before you start cooking, they are either either too wet or they need more flour to hold them together.
How do you eat Korean sweet potato pancakes? ›
It should be consumed as it is and no sauce is needed. It's not that crispy, so the texture really is like a pancake.
What type of potato is best for latkes? ›
Russet potatoes: Russet potatoes, or baking potatoes, are high in starch and have a dry, mealy texture. This type of potato is best for latkes because the dryness of the potato is partially responsible for that desirable, crispy texture. Yellow onion: Yellow onion adds a savory flavor to the latkes.
Why do my potato pancakes fall apart? ›
If they are falling apart because they are too 'squishy' or 'wet' it might not have enough flour. Troubleshoot this by adding more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a better consistency, the mixture should be somewhat wet and will have a slight stickiness but you also don't want it falling apart.
Why are my vegan pancakes gummy? ›
With oat-based pancakes, overmixing oat flour batters can make them turn gummy, so mix just until moistened and blended. Let the batter rest. Make sure to let the pan heat up while the batter sits. Doing so will result in fluffy pancakes that are cooked through and not underdone or gummy in the middle.
Why are my potato pancakes GREY? ›
It depends on whether your potatoes are turning gray before you cook them or after. When you grate raw potatoes, you release starch that can cause them to oxidize, or turn dark. The best way to keep that from happening is to cover the potatoes with cold water, then drain them very well and pat them dry before cooking.
How do you reheat potato pancakes so they are crispy? ›
– Always serve latkes hot and fresh if possible.
When ready to reheat, place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes (7 if using a convection oven) until heated through just prior to serving. A convection oven setting will produce a more crispy result.
What culture eats potato pancakes? ›
It is the national dish of Belarus, Ukraine and Slovakia. In Germany, potato pancakes are eaten either salty (as a side dish) or sweet with apple sauce, or blueberries, sugar and cinnamon; they are a very common menu item during outdoor markets and festivals in colder seasons.
If you're a purist, there are really only two things to serve with potato pancakes: sour cream and applesauce. If you want to widen your options, sautern Brussels sprouts would be great and some relatively strongly flavored meat (duck, turkey, sausage, possibly grilled lamb chops).
How do you keep potato pancake batter from turning brown? ›
What can I do to keep the potato batter from turning brown? A: When shredding the potatoes be sure to add some acidity (such as a teaspoon of white wine vinegar or concentrated lemon juice to the water. This is one dish where doing the prep work the night before can ruin the meal.
Why is my Korean pancake not crispy? ›
one of the most important factors is actually the temperature of the oil. so you want make sure you have it hot enough to get it crispy. i cooked it for about 2min on medium heat. also you want to make sure that you're making the pancakes on the smaller side.
What are pancakes called in Korean? ›
Buchimgae (부침개), or Korean pancake, refers broadly to any type of pan-fried ingredients soaked in egg or a batter mixed with other ingredients. More specifically, it is a dish made by pan-frying a thick batter mixed with egg and other ingredients until a thin flat pancake-shaped fritter is formed.
What are famous Korean pancakes? ›
What to eat in South Korea? Top 7 Korean Pancakes
- Pancake. Jeon. SOUTH KOREA. shutterstock. ...
- Pancake. Hotteok. SOUTH KOREA. shutterstock. ...
- Pancake. Kimchijeon. SOUTH KOREA. shutterstock. ...
- Pancake. Pajeon. SOUTH KOREA. shutterstock. ...
- Pancake. Gamjajeon. SOUTH KOREA. shutterstock. ...
- Pancake. Bindaetteok. SOUTH KOREA. ...
- Pancake. Hwajeon. SOUTH KOREA.
Hash browns are shredded potatoes, fried (or air-fried), til golden brown. They typically remain loose, or in shreds. Latkes, a.k.a potato pancakes, are grated or ground potatoes that are mixed with egged, flour, or other binding agents. They are one piece, like a pancake.
Why do they make potato pancakes on Hanukkah? ›
These potato pancakes (called latkes) are meant to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah, when the oil of the menorah in the ransacked Second Temple of Jerusalem was able to stay aflame for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one day. The symbolism comes in the form of the oil in which latkes are fried.
Are hash browns and latkes the same? ›
Latkes and hash browns are quite similar, but latkes are made from a few more ingredients. As pointed out by Chowhound user dixieday2, hash browns typically call for just two ingredients — potatoes and onions (and, presumably, salt) — while latkes are made from a batter.
Why do Jews eat applesauce with latkes? ›
Tradition says so. Latkes are usually served at dinnertime along with a meaty main, like brisket. Mixing milk and meat at the same meal is a no-no for those who keep kosher, so sour cream would be out as a latke condiment leaving the underdog apple sauce victorious.
