Korean Potato Pancake with Perfect Dipping Sauce Recipe!
Today, I will share a traditional Korean dish and very universal to everyone: Gamjajeon, Korean potato pancake. I believe every country has its own version of potato pancakes, and this is the Korean version. What makes Korean potato pancakes unique from others? There are two things.
First, the texture. The texture of food is essential to Koreans. We love the variety of different textures and flavors in one bite. So having a super crispy texture on the outside with chewy on the inside- almost cheese-like is an essential key for Korean potato pancake.
The second, the dipping sauce. All Korean pancakes are supposed to serve with some dipping sauce to balance the flavors. Usually, this Korean pancake dipping sauce is made with soy sauce, vinegar, and some aromatic vegetables. This savory and tangy dipping sauce perfectly pairs with potato pancakes and other Korean pancakes. I love using onion and chili peppers, and you can also use green onions or garlic.
Are we ready to start learning Korean potato pancake and perfect dipping sauce? Let’s get started!
First thing is first, let’s prepare potatoes first. You will need 2 lb of Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe. Yukon gold potatoes are the most similar type of potato to Korean potato. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks.
Add all the potatoes to a high-speed blender. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 4 tbsp potato starch or flour for a binder. You will be surprised to know how much water in potatoes. Without starch or flour, it will be too watery batter.
Blend until potatoes are nice and smooth, about 1 minute on medium-high speed.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 to 3 tbsp cooking oil or enough oil to cover your skillet. Pour about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter and spread evenly with a spatula. Cook until the edge is crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip it over, and cook for 2 more minutes or until it’s fully cooked. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Meanwhile, let’s make the perfect dipping sauce for Korean pancakes!
Combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce down below in a mixing bowl, and it’s done! Super easy!
For Dipping Sauce
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 chili, sliced (optional)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup agave nectar, maple syrup, or raw sugar
- 1/2 cup vinegar (I used apple vinegar – rice, apple cider, white wine, or red wine vinegar will be great!)
- 1/4 cup water
This sauce will last 30 days in a refrigerator, go perfectly with any Korean pancake, or serve as a pickled onion side dish. If you have lots of sauce left, you can add more onion and chilis to reuse them. Serve gamjajeon with dipping sauce and enjoy!
If you want to make a proper Korean pickled onion/vegetables, check out the recipe below! The crunch texture of veggies will last a long time!
Potato Pancake with Perfect Korean Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
For Gamjajeon
- 2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & diced (approximately 4 cups)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp potato starch or flour
- Cooking oil (I like to use avocado or coconut oil)
For Dipping Sauce
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 chili, sliced (optional)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup agave nectar, maple syrup, or raw sugar
- 1/2 cup vinegar (I used apple vinegar - rice, apple cider, white wine, or red wine vinegar will be great!)
- 1/4 cup water
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for gamjajeon in a high-speed blender. Blend until potatoes are nice and smooth, about 1 minute on medium-high speed.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add 2 to 3 tbsp cooking oil or enough oil to cover your skillet. Pour about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter and spread evenly with a spatula. Cook until gamjajeon’s edge is crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip it over, and cook for 2 more minutes or until it’s fully cooked. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Let’s make the perfect dipping sauce for Korean pancakes!
Combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a mixing bowl, and it’s done! Super easy! This sauce will last 30 days in a refrigerator, go perfectly with any Korean pancake, or can be served as a pickled onion side dish. If you have a lot of sauce left, you can add more onions and chilis to reuse the sauce. Enjoy!
3 comments
Super easy and tasty!
I always thought you had to hand grate the potato so even though I love this dish I only made it once bc of the labor. Your use of a blender cuts the time down tremendously and makes this dish more accessible to make! Thank you! Also can you share where you can get that awesome skillet?!
Made this today and it totally stuck to my stainless steel pan ?. I heated the pan, added the oil, checked it was hot enough with a wooden chopstick…..but no dice.
I scraped out what I could and tried again in a nonstick pan and it was okay! A bit oily. But thought I’d share in case anyone else goes to make it….nonstick pan or something very well oiled!