Korean Potato Pancakes (Gamja Jeon) (2024)

Learn how to make Korean potato pancakes. It’s a perfect rainy day snack!

It’s been a very hot sizzling summer season this year. I’ve been wishing for decent heavy rain, and my wish was granted late last week.

But perhaps I should have specified how much rain and how long I wanted it for. It’s been miserably raining with the strong wind constantly blowing for around 5 days in a row and now I am wishing for the sunny blue sky again. Will you please come back soon?

Blowing tree branches and constant rain drops woke me up this morning. As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew I had to have some pancakes.

But what do I have in my fridge and pantry that doesn’t need me to go out to fetch fancy ingredients? I had two potatoes, some onions and green chillies on hand. Then it was easily determined that I am going to make some Gamja Jeon: 감자전 (Korean potato pancakes).

Do you have any food you crave on a rainy day? What’s your craving food?

In Korea, we have this myth that you should have pancakes on a rainy day. I know, it may sound crazy! 🙂

Below are a few theories about it.

• When a pancake is cooked in a pan, it makes a sizzling noise. Apparently, people associate this sizzling noise with the sound of rain drops. Do you?

• When we don’t get to see the sun (like on a rainy day) the melatonin level increases in our body, and it makes us feel a bit depressed. So our body wants us to increase the sugar level by eating some carbohydrates, and Koreans happened to choose pancakes. Probably that’s because our mum made pancakes for us on a rainy day and our brain remembers this!

Whatever your reasons might be, these Korean potato pancakes are crispy and delicious! I hope you give them a try soon. 🙂

P.S. Check out more fabulous Korean rainy day foods from here!

Ingredients for Korean Potato Pancakes (1 to 2 serving)

(Below ingredients will give you about 6 small to medium sized pancakes)

• 2 medium potatoes (260g / 9 ounces), peeled
• 1/2 medium onion (60g / 2 ounces), peeled
• (optional) 1 green chilli, seeded and thinly sliced (I know my photo shows two, but one is enough.)
• A few sprinkles fine sea salt
• Some cooking oil (I used rice bran oil)
• Homemade Korean pancake sauce

How to Make KoreanPotato Pancakes

1. Blend the potato in a mixer orfood processor.

2. Strain the water from the pureed potato by letting it sit on a bowl for about 5 mins.

3. Blend the onion in a mixer or food processor.

4. Mix the pureed potato and onion in a bowl. Add some salt.

5. Empty the water in the bowl (from step 2) and add any residue potato from the bottom of the bowl into the potato and onion mixture above (from step 4). Stir it well. (Some say, the reason for this step is to make the potato mixture crispier by adding the starch, but for me the main reason is to increase the potato mixture volume. More volume, more pancakes :))

6. Heat the pan on high heat and add some oil.

7. Once the pan is heated, scoop out the potato mixture and place it onto the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high.

8. (optional step) Once one side of the pancake is about 70-80% cooked, garnish with the chilli.

9. When one side of the pancake is completely cooked, turn it over. Lightly press it with a spatula to flatten a bit.

10. When the other side of the pancake is completely cooked, turn it over again to see whether it is cooked through. Also, if you prefer crispy golden pancakes, cooking them both sides twice is not a bad idea as long as you don’t burn them.

11. Serve warm with some Korean pancake sauce.