Korean Potato Salad (Gamja)

An easy recipe that’s a fresh twist on an old classic!

Potato salad is a side dish created from boiled potatoes and other ingredients. Early potato salads came from Spain and were created by boiling potatoes in wine or vinegar. Spanish explorers in the 16th century introduced potato salad to other parts of Europe. The modern American version of potato salad owes its roots to the potato salad of German cuisine, where the recipe had ingredients like vinegar, sugar, and coarse mustard. American potato salad has cooked potatoes, chopped celery, herbs, and mayonnaise. Korean potato salad (Gamja) was inspired by the American mayonnaise-based potato salad, but differs because of its inclusion of fresh ingredients like apples and cucumbers.

The first potato salad I ever cooked was actually from a Korean recipe. I happened upon it as a teenager and I thought it was extremely creative. I boiled the potatoes, chopped the ingredients, mixed in the mayo, and became pleasantly infatuated. I still always get super excited when the little dish of Korean potato salad comes around when I order Korean BBQ. Though for my preference, the tiny dish was never enough to satisfy my craving. I created a recipe for Korean potato salad that is so simple and will compliment many Korean BBQ dishes like bulgogi or pork belly.

Korean Potato Salad (Gamja) Recipe

Yields 4-6 servings

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15-20 minutes

Inactive Time 1 hour

Directions

Boil the potato for 15-20 minutes, until soft. Drain and put in a large bowl to cool slightly.

Add all the other ingredients together into the bowl and toss until well mixed and coated in mayonnaise.

Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour for the potato salad to cool and for the flavors to mingle.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Great accompaniment to bulgogi and other Korean dishes!

DID YOU MAKE THIS DISH?

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