Name: Korean Braised Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 lb (450 g) baby potatoes, halved or quartered; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey); 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 cup water; 1 tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable or canola); 1 green onion, thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Alright, Let’s Talk About These Potatoes

So, Korean Braised Potatoes (gamja jorim, if we want to be fancy for a sec) are the sort of dish I pull together when I’m craving something sweet-savory and ridiculously comforting—without, like, slaving away all afternoon. I think my first memory of making this was in a tiny studio apartment where my only pots were a battered saucepan and a pan too small for anything but a single egg. But I’d still corner friends into tasting my, uh, “experiments.” (Shoutout to Jen for politely eating the too-salty batch I once made. The woman deserves a medal.)

Anyway, nowadays I whip this up when weather’s a bit rubbish or, let’s be honest, just because Potatoes are always lying around. The thing is—it’s shockingly easy for how addictive it tastes.

Why You’ll Probably Want to Make This, Too

I make this whenever I’m at a loss for what to serve on the side—especially if rice is already on the table because, yeah, these are peek starch-on-starch vibes. My family goes nuts for them (even my brother, who claims he “doesn’t really do potatoes, except fries”—yeah, okay).
And the best part: if you accidentally let them go all glossy and sticky, they’re arguably even better. Honestly, there’s hardly a wrong way to mess these up, unless you totally forget them on the stove (don’t ask me how I know THAT).

What You’ll Need (But Feel Free to Sub a Bit)

About 3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces—I usually use Yukon Golds, but I’ve tried red potatoes too. My gran swore by using new potatoes, but, eh, any potato works if you ask me.
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped. (Sometimes I skip this if I’m feeling lazy. No big drama.)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced, or honestly, a squirt of garlic paste if I’m out of actual cloves.
2 tablespoons soy sauce. Tamari works if you need it gluten-free.
Sometimes I use that low-sodium soy sauce, but then I sneak in a tiny bit more salt.
1 tablespoon sugar—or honey, if that’s lying around. (Maple syrup works, but it tastes a little odd. Learned this the hard way.)
1 tablespoon mirin, but if I’m out, a splash of white wine or even a drizzle of rice vinegar with extra sugar isn’t the end of the world.
About 1 cup water (or veggie stock if you want a little extra oomph)
1 tablespoon neutral oil. I use canola most days, but any light oil’s fine.
Optional: 1 small carrot, diced (kids love the extra color), a pinch of black pepper, sesame seeds and/or some green onion for garnish.

How I Usually Make It (Imperfections Included)

First, heat up your oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Don’t wander off; it’s easy to scorch the garlic here, and burnt garlic kinda haunts everything.
Toss in your onions (if using), garlic, and potatoes. Sauté for maybe 5 minutes? You just want the onions a bit soft and the garlic to smell glorious. This is where I sneak a taste of the potato, even though it’s literally raw. No regrets.
Time for the wet stuff: dump in your soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Stir things around. Add the water or stock and—here’s the low-tech part—get it bubbling, then slap the lid on. Or, use a makeshift foil cover if you’re like my old roommate who never had matching lids.
Let it simmer gently for 15-18 minutes, stirring every now and again just so nothing glues itself to the bottom. If it’s drying out before the potatoes are fork-tender, add a splash more water.
Once the potatoes are almost there, uncover the pot, crank the heat a notch, and let it cook until the sauce thickens to a shiny, sort-of-sticky glaze. It’ll seem watery for a bit, don’t panic—it always comes together. This is where you can toss in carrot cubes if you’re using them. Actually, on second thought, maybe aim for 3 to 5 extra minutes so the sauce gets really shiny.
Taste, adjust salt or sugar if you want, and toss in your sesame seeds/green onions. Or, just scoop ‘em straight into bowls and call it dinner. Up to you.

Tales from the Trenches (aka Notes)

If you cut the potatoes too large, they’ll take almost double the time to cook. I learned this the annoying way when I was hurrying once.
Leftover potatoes soak up sauce overnight, so they taste even deeper the next day. Except, like I said, we practically inhale them round here, so I rarely see day two.
Using a nonstick skillet is great, but I’ve used soup pots, cast iron, random saucepans—honestly, it still works.

Wild (and Some Less Wild) Variations

I once tried adding a splash of toasted sesame oil at the end—nice, but a bit overpowering if you add too much. Just saying.
Sweet potato instead of regular potato? Actually works. But, with purple sweet potatoes? Um, kind of weird-looking, and not my favorite, but maybe you’ll love it.
If you want it spicy, go ahead and throw in a bit of gochujang or even red pepper flakes (I half-lost the lid once and practically made a fire hazard. Oops!).

Gear You’ll Probably Want (or, Improvise!)

Medium saucepan, or whatever pot fits the potatoes. Once or twice, I’ve used a skillet with a lid that was too small—and, well, just wrapped it up with aluminum foil. No one noticed.
Decent knife. But honestly, I once used a butter knife after losing my sharp one at a potluck. Wouldn’t recommend, but it worked in a pinch.
Wooden spoon or spatula for stirring, unless you enjoy molten potato bits stuck to your hand. Just sayin’.

How to Store (If You Actually Have Leftovers)

Pop any extras in a sealed container in the fridge, should last two or three days… though honestly, in my house it never lasts more than a day. I think it’s even tastier cold straight form the container (don’t judge!)

If You’re Wondering How to Serve These?

Totally up to you. I like them with a bowl of steamed rice and kimchi—sometimes even with grilled salmon on the side (here’s a cool grilled fish guide from Maangchi). Sometimes we serve these as part of a whole banchan spread if I’m feeling ambitious, but usually it’s just weeknight vibes.

Stuff I’ve Learned the Hard Way (Pro Tips, Kinda)

I once tried rushing the simmering step, thinking the potatoes “looked soft enough”—well, they were still crunchy. Not a win.
Add your sugar after the water heats up a bit; once I dumped it all in at the start and part of it just stuck to the bottom, turning into caramel. Cool trick, bad idea.
Don’t wander off during the last 5 minutes. The sauce can flip from perfect glossy to stuck and sad in seconds. Ask me how I know.

Real Questions I’ve Actually Heard (FAQ)

Can I freeze Korean Braised Potatoes?
Not really? They get weird and mushy. Someone tried it and, well, potato soup was the result. Just make enough for a couple days.

What’s the best potato to use?
Honestly, whatever you have. I’ve even used baking potatoes in a pinch. Yukon Gold is probably my top pick, though.

Can I skip the onion?
Yep. I do this probably every other time. (Or see Sue’s version—she sometimes does!)

Is this actually vegetarian?
It can be! Most recipes are, but watch for unusual stock choices if you’re really strict. And gochujang can have anchovy, so read the label if that matters to you.

Side note: I once got distracted halfway through making this and started rearranging the spice rack. Potatoes ended up sitting in the sauce for, like, double the usual time—oddly enough, it still tasted great, just more sugary. Accidents happen!