Gamja Jeon — Shatteringly Crispy Korean Potato Pancakes
Made from nothing more than grated raw potatoes and a hot pan, these Korean potato pancakes achieve an impossibly crispy, lacy golden exterior with a soft, starchy center that melts on your tongue. The natural potato starch does all the binding work, creating a pure, clean potato flavor that pairs beautifully with a sharp soy-vinegar dipping sauce. Simple, humble, and absolutely spectacular.
Ingredients
- 3 large russet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs), peeled
- 1/2 medium onion, finely grated
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
+ 3 more ingredients
Instructions
Grate the peeled potatoes on the fine side of a box grater (or use a food processor fitted with the grating disc) into a large bowl. Work quickly to prevent browning.
Place the grated potato in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible into a separate bowl. The potatoes should be very dry. Let the squeezed liquid sit for 5 minutes — the white potato starch will settle to the bottom.
Carefully pour off the water from the starch bowl, keeping the white starch sediment at the bottom.
Combine the squeezed grated potato, the reserved potato starch, grated onion, chopped scallion, salt, and white pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Scoop the potato mixture into the pan (about 1/3 cup per pancake) and press flat with a spatula to about 1/4-inch thickness. For one large pancake, use all the mixture and press into a wide, thin circle.
Fry for 4-5 minutes without moving until the bottom is deeply golden and the edges are crispy and lacy. Flip carefully and fry another 4-5 minutes, pressing down gently.
Mix together all the dipping sauce ingredients. Serve the pancakes hot from the pan with the dipping sauce alongside.
Nutrition Estimate
Per serving • Estimated by Blinner AI