100% Pure Potato Pancakes (Gamja Jeon) – Gangwon Style
100% Pure Potato Pancakes (Gamja Jeon) – Gangwon Style
Making Authentic 100% Potato Pancakes, Just Like My Dad from Gangwon Province Used to Make
Hello everyone, this is Henri’s sister. My father’s hometown is Gangwon Province, and people from there are affectionately called ‘Gamjabau,’ which means ‘potato rocks.’ When I was little, our family’s ancestral land was near Daegwallyeong, so I used to go there to dig up potatoes. My dad would then make many delicious dishes with the potatoes we brought back home, like potato rice cakes, Ongsimi (potato dumplings), and especially potato pancakes! The potato pancakes my dad made contained only potatoes, green onions, and salt, but they were absolutely the best. ^^
Ingredients- 8 potatoes, about the size that fits snugly into a paper cup
- 1/2 tablespoon of salt (using a rice spoon)
- 1 stalk of green onion
- 2 Cheongyang peppers (spicy Korean chili peppers)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
I have some peeled potatoes left over from making potato soup a couple of days ago.
Step 2
Grate the potatoes finely using a grater. You’ll need about 8 potatoes, roughly the size that fits into a paper cup. (Please be extremely careful while grating to avoid injuring your fingers! I nearly grated my fingernail.)
Step 3
Grating with a hand grater is crucial because it preserves the fibrous texture, which helps the pancakes bind together and achieve that authentic Gangwon-style taste. I tried using a blender once for convenience, but the texture was completely different. I strongly advise against using a blender for this recipe; the taste is vastly inferior. Honestly, grating 8 potatoes by hand is quite quick.
Step 4
Now, place the grated potatoes in a sieve or colander set over a bowl. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Step 5
You’ll see potato juice collect at the bottom of the bowl. Let this juice sit undisturbed for about 3 minutes. (This step takes a little time.) Most restaurants skip this step; they don’t drain the liquid and instead mix in starch or pancake mix directly. This increases the yield and saves time by avoiding the draining and settling process, but it compromises the authentic flavor.
Step 6
After about 3 minutes, you’ll notice a white sediment (potato starch) settled at the bottom of the potato juice. Carefully pour off the clear liquid from the top, leaving the starch behind.
Step 7
Add the settled potato starch back into the squeezed potato pulp and mix them together thoroughly. This creates a batter with the unique stickiness and flavor of pure potatoes.
Step 8
Season the grated potato mixture with salt. Add it gradually and taste to ensure it’s seasoned correctly without being too salty.
Step 9
Mix in the finely chopped green onion and Cheongyang peppers. (I also added some chopped purple onion I had on hand, but you can omit it if you don’t have any. Similarly, if you don’t have Cheongyang peppers, feel free to skip them. Traditional Gangwon-style potato pancakes use only a small amount of chopped green onion.)
Step 10
Once all the ingredients are mixed, the batter will look like this. It should be wonderfully sticky and smell invitingly savory.
Step 11
Now it’s time to cook the pancakes! Since this batter contains absolutely no flour or additional starch, making them too large can cause them to tear. It’s best to fry them in small, delicate portions.
Step 12
Your delicious and chewy 100% pure potato pancakes are ready! Unlike pancakes made with flour, you’ll find these potato pancakes are so satisfying you won’t get tired of eating them.
Step 13
Grating the potatoes by hand is what gives them that fibrous texture and a satisfying chew, similar to hash browns, though hard to describe perfectly. It results in a truly unique eating experience! (My descriptive skills are lacking, haha.) ※To summarize the process for making 100% potato pancakes: grate the potatoes, drain the liquid, season the mixture, and fry!
