Potato Fritters or Gamjajeon is what is called in our home but it is not shredded or chopped like most Korean Gamjajeon recipes you will see online.
As I decided to write this post, I realized that this is probably not a common Korean food. I don’t think I have seen it served at any restaurant or in anyone’s home. But we always had it in our family as long as I can remember. I even did a search online in Korean and I did not find (I can’t say I looked at every image but only looked at about 50+ images :)) any blogs or images that had Gamjajeon that looked like mine here. I’m sure there are some Korean families out there that make this but I haven’t met any so far. Anyway, I call it Potato Fritters or Gamjajeon for lack of a better name since it is Gamja/Potato and it does belong to the Jeon category as it is pan fried with some type of coating or batter.
But instead of shredding or chopping the potato as in my Crispy Potato Pancakes (Gamjajeon) recipe, I slice the potato and then coat the whole slice in batter. It is so simple and easy but it is just sooo good that I bet you – you won’t be able to eat just one! This simple and easy potato gamja jeon pairs wonderfully well with any Korean jjigaes (Kimchi, Gochujang, Doenjang) and soups. And it certainly does not require any special Korean ingredients except soy sauce for dipping so you can make it easily with what you have.
This is really one of my go-to banchan for my everyday Korean meal as it is also my daughter’s and husband’s favorite. I mean you can never go wrong with potatoes, right? This Gamjajeon is delicious both warm and cold (at room temperature) so you can make ahead for dinner or for a buffet party or even bring it to a party as appetizers!
Now, my main reason for making Potato fritters this time is because I had leftover potatoes in my pantry that had begun to sprout! Yikes!! I had to eat them quickly before they sprouted even more.
I know that some of you may be wondering –
Is it safe to eat sprouted potatoes?
Yes, as long as they are not green and the sprouts are removed.
Don’t eat the sprouts or the green part since they are an indication that the potato now contain a toxin called Saponine. But once you remove the sprouts and any green part then they are safe to eat. If the potato is mostly green under the skin and it has started to shrivel up then throw it away.
And here’s what U.S. National Library of Medicine says about potato poisoning:
- Never eat potatoes that are spoiled or green below the skin. Always throw away the sprouts.
- Potatoes that are not green and have had any sprouts removed are safe to eat.
Here is a pic of my organic potatoes with sprouts –
Potato fritters or Gamjajeon is perfectly good as both gluten free and regular.
Potato Fritters (Korean Gamjajeon) Recipe
Servings: 3-4 Cooking Time: Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes, sprouts removed and peeled
- vegetable oil
- soy dipping sauce (Choganjang 초간장)
- 2 T soy sauce (Jinganjang 진간장)
- 1 T vinegar
- sprinkling of sesame seeds
Regular flour batter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Gluten Free Batter
- 1 1/4 Cup gluten free flour (may vary depending on type of GF flour)
- 1 Cup water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Make dipping batter by mixing flour, water and salt. Mix until smooth. For Gluten Free version, use your favorite GF flour. Mine is Cup4Cup or Trader Joe’s GF flour. This particular version was made with Trader Joe’s GF flour. You may need a little more if you are making GF version because they tend to be more runny than plain flour.
- Peel and remove all sprouts from potatoes. Leave in water until you are ready to cut.
- Cut potatoes into slices around 0.5 cm/0.2 inches thick. If it’s too thin, the batter coating will overtake the potato and if it’s too thick it will take longer to cook all the way.
potato slices for korean potato fritters or gamjajeon - To help the potato cook, pre cook the potato slices in the microwave. About 2 minutes at full power for 3 potatoes. You are not trying to cook the potatoes all the way but just enough so that it is starting to cook. Some parts of your potato slices will be cooked and some will not.
semi-cooked potatoes for potato fritters (gamjajeon) – the darker part is cooked - Immediately add all the potatoes into the batter and keep it covered. Otherwise the potato will start to turn black pretty quickly.
- Heat about 2 Tbs of oil in a pan on medium high heat.
- Take potato slices coated with batter and then add to the pan. Reduce heat to medium.
potato in batter for potato fritters potato fritters or gamjajeon frying in pan - Pan fry in oil for 4-5 minutes on each side. Cook until it is nicely browned.
potato fritters or gamjajeon frying in pan gamjajeon or potato fritters browned in my favorite cast iron frying pan - While the potatoes are cooking, mix 2 Tbs soy sauce and 1 Tbs vinegar to make Choganjang. See my Korean Sauces (For Dipping) for other dipping sauce recipes.
- Potatoes are done if you can easily poke through with a chopstick. The outside will be crispy and nutty while the inside will be the beautiful potato that will be soft and yummy. You can also always do a taste test instead – be careful the inside will be HOT!
Potato fritters Recipe (Gamjanjeon) My sage plant in my garden had some beautiful flowers so I tried them with my gamjajeon. Sage leaves are a bit strong but the flowers are quite mild and went great with my Korean potato fritters!
Potato Fritters served with soy vinegar sauce Gamjajeon or Korean potato fritters styled with sage flowers and leaves
Korean Potato Fritters (Gamjajeon)
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes , sprouts removed and peeled
- vegetable oil
- soy dipping sauce (Choganjang 초간장)
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Regular flour batter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt (Trader Joe's)
Gluten Free Batter
- 1 1/4 Cup gluten free flour (may vary depending on type of GF flour)
- 1 Cup water
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt (Trader Joe's)
Instructions
- Make dipping batter by mixing flour, water and salt. Mix until smooth. There are 2 recipes for gluten free and regular, make one or the other.
- Peel and remove all sprouts from potatoes. Leave in water until you are ready to cut.
- Cut potatoes into slices around 0.5 cm/0.2 inches thick. If it's too thin, the batter coating will overtake the potato and if it's too thick it will take longer to cook all the way.
- To help the potato cook, pre cook the potato slices in the microwave. About 2 minutes at full power for 3 potatoes.
- Immediately add all the potatoes into the batter and keep it covered. Otherwise the potato will start to turn black pretty quickly.
- Heat about 2 Tbs of oil in a pan on medium high heat.
- Take potato slices coated with batter and then add to the pan. Reduce heat to medium.
- Pan fry in oil for 4-5 minutes on each side. Cook until it is nicely browned.
- While the potatoes are cooking, mix 2 Tbs soy sauce and 1 Tbs vinegar to make Choganjang. See my Korean Sauces I recipes (For Dipping) for other dipping sauce recipes.
- Potatoes are done if you can easily poke through with a chopstick.
Tips & Notes:
Store in fridge and reheat on stove top.
To serve as appetizer, you can also try serving with some creamy dipping sauce with chives or green onions.
Nutrition Information:
Tips
- Serve Gamjajeon hot right from the pan or at room temperature.
- Store in fridge and reheat on stove top.
- To serve as appetizer, you can also try serving with some creamy dipping sauce with chives or green onions.
Hope you get to enjoy these easy Korean potato fritters!
Happy Friday~
JinJoo
Looking forward to making these! I wanted to find a Korean recipe for my young kids to try to go with some Korean picture books we are reading. I am not an expert cook and don’t have access to many ingredients, but this looks like something I can handle. Just one quick question. How can I adapt the recipe if I don’t have a microwave? Thanks!
Hi JD – glad you found a recipe that you think you can make! The microwaving part is to ensure the potato gets fully cooked before the outside burns. YOu can either just make sure you cut it thin and cook it for a longer period on lower heat on the pan until it’s soft. Good luck!
I was all set to start and turns out the stove is unavailable! Did you ever try this in an air fryer, actually a monster appliance called “Big Boss”? Advice? Thanks^^
Oh, this recipe is done using the frying pan. It needs a hot surface with oil on it. Sorry havne’t tried it in the air fryer.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I also make this and use different vegetables such as sweet potatoes,zucchini , shredded carrots with onions. You are right about not being able to eat just one !
Wow these bring back memories. My mom (who was British not Korean) used to make these for us when we were kids. Usually it was when she had leftover batter from making fish and chips. Thanks for posting this.
How wonderful! Making it with leftover batter totally makes sense! And potatoes are always so yummy whatever way you cook it. Thanks for your comment!
Love your food styling and photos! These ones go by 감자부침(gamjaboochim) or 간단 감자부침 more so than gamjajeon:)
Thank you so much! Great – I will remember that!