Making algamja-jorim braised baby potatoes

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Myrtle Iris Villaraza

Photos = Myrtle Iris Villaraza

Recently, I re-watched some music videos of Kiha & the Faces (장기하와 얼굴들), a Korean indie band that I discovered several years ago. In the music video for their song “I Almost Had It” (좋다 말았네), Kiha is shown cooking a traditional Korean meal -- complete with lots of side dishes -- for his girl and himself. Everything looked so appetizing, from the stew to the side dishes! However, there was one dish that I particularly wanted to try to make at home for two reasons. First, it’s a potato dish, and, second, it was one of my favorites back in Korea for its sweet and salty taste.

I didn’t know what it was called, so I looked it up online. Thankfully, I found a recipe for it right away from Maangchi.com. I learned that it’s called algamja-jorim braised baby potatoes. The word gamja means "potato," jorim means “braised,” while al means “egg.” The dish uses small potatoes that are similar to quail eggs in size, hence its name. I was excited to see that the recipe is simple and most of the ingredients can be easily found in a typical kitchen.

Ingredients

1 pound of baby potatoes, the size of quail eggs

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or any cooking oil

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

3 tablespoons of rice syrup, honey or sugar

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

Directions

1. Trim any rotten spots or broken edges from the potatoes. Wash and rinse in cold water to remove any dirt. Strain.

2. Add the cooking oil to a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes.

3. Cover for 20 minutes until fully done. Shake and move the skillet every 5 minutes so that the potatoes cook evenly and don’t burn.

4. Turn down the heat to low and add the soy sauce, rice syrup and garlic. Stir it all together with a wooden spoon.

5. Turn up the heat to medium. Keep stirring and cooking for another 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce is reduced and the potatoes look shiny and wrinkly.

6. Remove from the heat and mix with the sesame oil. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top.

7. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with rice. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days.

After gathering all the ingredients, I was ready to make braised baby potatoes for the first time!

First, I prepared the ingredients: potatoes, brown sugar, cooking oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and toasted sesame seeds.

After cleaning the potatoes, I cooked them in oil for about 20 minutes over medium heat, turning them over every once in a while to keep them from burning. 

Next, I turned the heat to low before stirring in the soy sauce, garlic and brown sugar. 

I turned the heat back to medium, then continued stirring for a few more minutes until the sauce thickened. 

Once the potatoes were shiny and wrinkly, I removed them from the heat. Finally, I mixed in the sesame oil and added the sesame seeds. 

That was it: my first braised baby potatoes! The sauce I made seemed thicker than usual, most likely because I used brown sugar instead of rice syrup or honey. Nevertheless, I was happy because I liked how the dish turned out. My family enjoyed it, too, so I think my cooking was a success. The garlicky, sweet-salty sauce and the potatoes’ natural taste were a delicious combination. Of course, the sesame oil and sesame seeds also added more aroma and flavor to the dish.

According to Maangchi, braised baby potatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. However, I suppose you won’t need to do this because you’ll probably finish the dish in just a few minutes, especially if you’re a potato lover like me and my family! This was also expected since I only cooked one pound of potatoes. Next time, I’ll make more so we can keep some handy to be enjoyed any time of the day. I’ll also try using honey or rice syrup, to see which one tastes even better. 

How about making some algamja-jorim braised baby potatoes, too? It’s supposed to be eaten as a side dish, but I believe you can also enjoy it on its own. Either way, I’m sure you’ll also like it.

By the way, last year, I also wrote an article about another easy-to-make potato dish, Korean potato pancakes or gamjajeon. You can view it here. :D

wisdom117@korea.kr

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