If you’ve ever sat down for a Korean BBQ spread and noticed a bowl of glossy, sweet-savory potato chunks among the side dishes, this recipe is exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Korean Braised Potatoes, known as gamja jorim, turn humble potatoes into something rich, sticky, and packed with flavor using just a handful of pantry staples.
This dish is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, yet special enough to serve as part of a larger spread.
The process is simple: potatoes are pan fried until lightly golden, then simmered in a soy sauce and sugar based glaze until the sauce thickens and clings to every piece.
A finishing touch of toasted sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds rounds out the dish with a nutty, aromatic flavor that ties everything together.
Why This Dish Is Worth Making
What makes these braised potatoes so appealing is the balance between savory and sweet.
Soy sauce brings depth and saltiness, sugar adds a touch of sweetness that caramelizes as it cooks down, and garlic and onion add another layer of savory flavor.
By the time the sauce has reduced, it clings to the potatoes in a thick, glossy glaze that’s hard to stop eating.
This dish also comes together with minimal ingredients and equipment. A single pan and about 20 minutes on the stove is really all it takes, which makes it approachable whether you’re new to Korean cooking or looking to add a new side dish to your regular rotation.
Serve it alongside steamed rice for a simple meal, or add it to a larger Korean BBQ spread with grilled meats and other banchan, the small side dishes that typically accompany a Korean meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything required for this recipe:
- 1 lb potatoes, cut into 1.5–2 inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ medium onion, sliced
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (added at the end)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish
A neutral cooking oil, such as vegetable or canola oil, is also needed for the initial pan-frying step, though it isn’t listed among the main measured ingredients.
Step by Step Instructions
1. Prep the ingredients. Rinse the potatoes well, then peel and trim away any bruised spots. Cut them into even 1.5 to 2 inch chunks, since keeping the pieces a consistent size helps them cook evenly.
If you’re using thin skinned varieties like baby potatoes or red potatoes, there’s no need to peel them at all. Mince the garlic and thinly slice the onion.
2. Pan fry until golden. Heat a neutral oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes in a single layer and pan fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until they’re lightly golden on the outside.
Add the garlic and onion, then stir fry everything together for about a minute.
3. Add the braising sauce. Add the soy sauce, water, and sugar directly into the pan. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Simmer uncovered. Reduce the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces into a thick, sticky glaze that coats the potatoes.
If the sauce reduces too quickly before the potatoes are fully tender, add a small splash of water and keep cooking until they reach the right texture.
5. Finish with sesame oil. Turn off the heat, then add the toasted sesame oil and toss everything together well to coat. Taste the dish and adjust with a little extra sugar, soy sauce, or water if needed.
6. Serve. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve immediately alongside rice or as part of a larger Korean BBQ spread.
Tips for the Best Results
Cutting the potatoes into consistent, even chunks really does make a difference in how this dish turns out.
Uneven pieces mean some potatoes will cook through faster than others, which can leave you with a mix of overly soft and undercooked chunks in the same batch.
Keep an eye on the sauce as it simmers. Since it’s cooking uncovered, the liquid will reduce steadily, and you want that reduction to happen at roughly the same pace as the potatoes becoming tender.
If the sauce thickens too quickly and the potatoes still have a bite to them, a small splash of water buys you a little more cooking time without burning the glaze.
Don’t skip tasting and adjusting at the end. Depending on the potatoes you use and how much the sauce reduced, you might want a touch more sweetness or saltiness before serving.
This is also the point where you can adjust the consistency with a splash of water if the glaze turned out thicker than you’d like.
Smaller, waxy potatoes such as baby potatoes or red potatoes work particularly well, since their thin skins mean you can skip peeling altogether. If you’re using a larger or thicker-skinned variety, it’s best to peel them first.
Yes, these braised potatoes can be made ahead and reheated. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge and warm them gently on the stove or in the microwave before serving, adding a small splash of water if the glaze has thickened too much during storage.
No, this particular version isn’t spicy. The flavor comes from the balance of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and sesame oil rather than any chili or heat.
While this recipe focuses on potatoes, onion, and garlic, other vegetables like carrots or bell peppers could be added during the braising step if you’d like to build out the dish, keeping in mind that cooking times may vary slightly.
Pan-frying the potatoes first helps develop a lightly golden exterior, which adds flavor and helps the potatoes hold their shape during the simmering process, rather than becoming too soft too quickly.
Steamed rice is the simplest pairing, letting the sweet and savory glaze soak into the rice. It also works well as part of a larger Korean BBQ spread alongside grilled meats and other side dishes.
Sugar is used here to build the glaze and balance the saltiness of the soy sauce. If you’d like to experiment with a different sweetener, keep in mind it may change how quickly the sauce reduces and thickens.
The potatoes are ready once they’re tender enough to easily pierce with a fork, and the sauce has reduced into a thick, glossy glaze that coats each piece.
Korean Braised Potatoes: A Sweet, Savory Side Dish You’ll Keep Making
Ingredients
- 1 pounds potatoes cut into 1.5-2 inch chunks
- 1 tablespoons neutral oil for pan-frying
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- 0.5 cups water
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 0.3 medium onion sliced
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoons sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Rinse, peel if needed, and cut 1 pounds potatoes, cut into 1.5-2 inch chunks into even chunks. Mince 2 garlic cloves, minced and slice 0.3 medium onion, sliced.
- Pan-fry potatoes: Heat 1 tablespoons neutral oil, for pan-frying in a large pan over medium heat. Add potatoes in a single layer and pan-fry 2m 30s
- , turning occasionally, until lightly golden.
- Add garlic and onion: Add garlic and onion; stir-fry for 1 minute
- Add braising sauce: Add 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 0.5 cups water, and 1 tablespoons sugar. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Simmer: Reduce to medium heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes
- , stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens into a glaze. Add a splash of water if needed.
- Finish with sesame oil: Turn off heat, add 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve: Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with 1 teaspoons sesame seeds, for garnish, and serve immediately.
