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Gamja Jjageuli (Korean Potato Stew)

Here’s how you make the ultimate comfort food!
Servings 2 people
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 potatoes
  • 1/2 onion medium sized
  • 1 long green pepper sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 scallion chopped
  • 1/2 can (200g) Spam Lite or Low Sodium

Seasoning

  • 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
  • 1 tsp doenjang (Korean soy bean paste)
  • 2 tbsp coarse gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)
  • 1 tbsp fine gochugaru
  • 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 4 cups water

Instructions

  • Wash and peel the potatoes.
  • Slice potatoes and onions into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
  • Mince the garlic, cut the peppers, and chop the scallions.
  • Place the spam in a plastic bag or Ziploc bag and smash down with your hands into small pieces.
  • Layer a pot with the potatoes, onions, spam, garlic, sugar, coarse and fine gochugaru, soy sauce, doenjang, gochujang, green peppers, and water.
    *Note: Add water until the ingredients are just about submerged. Too much water can result in a loose stew.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10-15 minutes. The stew is ready when the potatoes are soft and mashable
  • Top with scallions for freshness and enjoy with lots of rice!

Notes

  1. If you don’t have fine gochugaru, you can substitute it with coarse gochugaru. 
  2. The ingredients should be just about submerged in water when adding to the pot. This stew is meant to be thick so adding too much water can result in a loose and runny stew. 
  3. Sometimes, I’ll switch it up and use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Any type of potato will work for this but I recommend using starchy potatoes.
  4. Doenjang is an essential part of this dish. Don’t skip it! It gives the dish a wonderful depth of flavor and it won’t taste the same without it.
  5. Crushing the Spam gives the stew a better taste and texture. Simply cutting it into cubes does not make it taste as good.
  6. Feel free to adjust the amounts of red and green peppers, as well as red pepper powder if you have a low tolerance for spicy food. 
  7. If you have some leftovers, store them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: Potatoes, Spam, Spicy