Spicy braised potatoes

Maeun-gamja-jorim 매운감자조림

This spicy braised potato side dish is very simple and something you can make quickly with only a few ingredients. You’ll be surprised at how delicious it is, with such little work! Your house will be full of a good aroma!

As I mentioned it the video, this is a more frugal version of the same dish with fish. In this one, dried anchovies create the irresistible savory flavor. It’s warm, spicy, a little salty, a little sweet, and goes perfect with rice. If you are not a big fan of Mr. Anchovies, use chicken broth instead of water.

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound peeled potato (Idaho or Yukon), cut crosswise into ½ inch thick pieces
  • 5 ounces onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons hot pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 7 large dried anchovies, heads and guts removed
  • 1½ cup water

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Directions

  1. Add potato, onion, garlic, soy sauce, hot pepper flakes, and sugar to a heavy pot. Mix all with a wooden spoon.
  2. Add the anchovies and water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium high heat.
  3. Open and stir. Cover and lower the heat to medium.
  4. Cook for another 15 minutes until the potato is fully cooked but not mushy.
  5. Transfer it to a plate and serve right away with rice. You can refrigerate it up to 2 to 3 days. To eat again, reheat in the microwave or put it into a pan with a little bit of water and heat it up on the stove. Or you can serve it cold. 

Posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2018 at 7:41 pm. Last updated on August 11, 2021.
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20 Comments:

  1. Cookin905 Pickering, On, Canada joined 1/15 & has 3 comments
    Posted October 7th, 2018 at 1:35 pm | or create a profile.

    Maangchi, as always this recipe looks so amazing that I can’t wait to try it. Trying to keep my carbs down, and I’m sure this will be dangerously addictive

    Do you think fish sauce instead of dried anchovies could work in this recipe, and if so, how much would you recommend?

    You NEVER talk too much❤️

  2. Jina_EastMeetsWest Florida joined 7/18 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 8th, 2018 at 5:05 pm | or create a profile.

    My mom had a wonderful spicy gamja jorim recipe. She passed it on to me just before she died, but I realized today that I had lost it! I nearly had an emotional breakdown, but your recipe looks similar to hers….I am so incredibly grateful that you run this website! Cooking Korean food has become an almost spiritual ritual for me, helping me feel close to her even though she isn’t around, and your website has really helped me with that.

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,049 comments
      Posted July 11th, 2018 at 9:02 am | or create a profile.

      I feel so touched by your comment, because it sounds like when you cook Korean food, you think about your mom. Food is more than just recipes, isn’t it? I’m sure many people will be touched by your comment?

  3. Rissy Texas joined 5/18 & has 1 comment
    Posted May 13th, 2018 at 9:56 am | or create a profile.

    I love these potatoes! The only thing I do differently to make this a vegan dish is use nearly a teaspoon of kelp powder whisked into the water in order to bring the sea flavor without using anchovies. I suppose a piece of dried kelp might work, but I find the powder to be a stronger flavor. A little goes a long way! Hope this helps someone wanting to try this without the fish.

  4. ahw Los Angeles joined 10/16 & has 11 comments
    Posted April 18th, 2018 at 11:51 am | or create a profile.

    This looks amazing. And it reminds me a lot of a dish from my grandparents’ culture that I make all the time: Hungarian potato paprikash, potatoes stewed with paprika, onion, and tomato (and sometimes smoked sausage), also a cheap, frugal housewives’ dish that costs little but tastes great. Thank you so much for this. Maangchi FTW again!

  5. Gochugarugirl Cleveland joined 3/18 & has 1 comment
    Posted March 30th, 2018 at 8:36 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi!

    I’m so excited to make this. Do you think I could use dashi as my liquid?

  6. lydiac California joined 3/18 & has 1 comment
    Posted March 11th, 2018 at 11:58 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi! I love your recipes, thank you for teaching me so much about cooking and making life more fun with your delicious food!

    Can I use canned mackerel instead of sardines?

  7. lizzluck St. Louis, MO joined 8/17 & has 3 comments
    Posted February 25th, 2018 at 11:34 pm | or create a profile.

    Looks delicious, and really hearty for the winter and rainy spring days. I also lived in Columbia and went to MU for graduate school, so I thought that was very neat when I read it in your book introduction, and when you mentioned it in the video. I grew up near Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and there were several Korean ladies who went to my parent’s church. When I was a child they would bring mandu and japchae to church pot-luck dinners, and what my father liked most of all, kimchi! The ladies taught him how to make it, and now I do too.

  8. nuu Imaginationland joined 2/18 & has 1 comment
    Posted February 25th, 2018 at 8:24 am | or create a profile.

    This was so good, I’ve made it twice now! Thanks so much for the recipe. ^_^

  9. emerly Alberta, Canada joined 2/18 & has 1 comment
    Posted February 25th, 2018 at 5:27 am | or create a profile.

    I made this tonight. I can’t find gochujaru anywhere where I live ):
    So I used gochujang instead. Still delicious! 감사합니다!


    See full size image

  10. sanne Munich joined 8/14 & has 247 comments
    Posted February 24th, 2018 at 5:40 am | or create a profile.

    You said in this video “I talk too much!”

    I disagree – like I said for kimchi before: “There’s no such thing as too much kimchi”, I say the same for you: “There’s no such thing as Maangchi talking too much”!

    I love the stories of your life, your explanations, everything!

    Bye, Sanne

  11. stonefly Olympia WA joined 11/11 & has 61 comments
    Posted February 23rd, 2018 at 9:08 pm | or create a profile.

    Maangchi scores another hit! Great job and tasty dish. It is snowing here, so I will make this tomorrow to warm up! Thanks, Maangchi (and great classic dress, too!)!

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