Do you ever find yourself in a food rut? This used to happen to me a lot, (and let's face it, will probably happen many more times.) When I'm feeling tired and uninspired my "non-blog food" can quickly turn into T.L.T. after T.L.T. after T.L.T. (for anyone not aware, those are (T)empeh bacon, (L)ettuce, and (T)omato sandwiches, and lot's of 'em.) But now, I'm so busy with recipes for the blog and recipes for clients that I don't have the time to fall into a rut. I'm trying new-to-me foods (like kimchi! Why have I waited so long??), ingredients I've always overlooked (aquafaba), and new-to-me dishes (hello, chilaquiles!!)
And then there's this bowl... Oh my goodness, you can say goodbye to your food rut, and hello to my new favourite potato recipe, right now.
Al gamja jorim (a Korean soy sauce braised potato side dish) is the star of this recipe. In order to make this a main course I turned this side dish into the focal point of a Korean bibimbap inspired bowl.
These potatoes are quite simply awesome. Soy sauce braised potatoes have swooped into my life and become one of my favourite ways to prepare potatoes, ever. They are so easy, and so flavourful. Whole Creamer potatoes are braised in a sweet and salty mixture of garlic, water, soy sauce, agave, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil, reduced to a rich, sticky sauce.
Turns out, al gamja jorim is an ideal "make ahead" dish, so I stuck with that theme and everything in this bowl can be prepared ahead of time. Yay!
This bowl begins with a bed of rice, topped with the rich, sweet and savoury Creamer potatoes, sesame carrots, tangy cucumbers, kimchi, julienned spinach, nori, and plenty of green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
After the potatoes, it's all about the toppings. I'm in love with these sesame carrots, they're crisp and crunchy, rich with toasted sesame-soy sauce flavour and a hint of sweetness. The tangy cucumbers give a light "pickled" flavor with rice wine vinegar, agave, lots of green onion, minced garlic and a touch of soy sauce. I used a mandolin for the carrots and the cucumbers, which made the prep for those two elements insanely easy. (Seriously, if you love to make rice rolls like I do, you need a good mandolin yesterday.) After that I suggest adding some store-bought kimchi, fresh baby spinach, bean sprouts, and strips of nori. These are all little to no preparation, easy additions to your bowl.
As usual, feel free to customize this recipe to your liking! If you're looking for inspiration and not familiar with bibimbap, google it for some seriously amazing topping ideas.
This post is sponsored by The Little Potato Company. We love them for their commitment to simple, healthy whole foods like their delicious Creamer potatoes. Thanks for supporting the brands that support I Love Vegan! Learn more about why we love Little Potatoes SO much at www.littlepotatoes.com
Korean Potato Bowl (Al Gamja Jorim)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main course
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
Rich, sweet and savoury Korean style potatoes with rice, sesame carrots, tangy cucumbers, nori, spinach, and kimchi.
Ingredients
Al Gamja Jorim
- 1 lb Little Potato Company's Baby Boomers or Blushing Belles
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp raw agave nectar (or corn syrup)
- ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
- chopped green onion, for garnish
Sesame carrots
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp agave
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Tangy Cucumbers
- ⅔ cucumber, cut in half and julienned
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp agave
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Toppings
- Rice, cooked
- Vegan kimchi
- Green onion, thinly sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Spinach, julienned
- Nori, cut into strips
- Bean sprouts, (not shown - optional)
Instructions
Al Gamja Jorim
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, jostling the pan/stirring the potatoes often.
- Add the garlic and stir, cooking for 1 minute.
- Add the water, soy sauce, agave, and sriracha. Turn up to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are wrinkly and tender throughout and the sauce is nearly thick (Note: If the potatoes are cooked but the sauce isn't reduced enough, uncover and continue to simmer. If the sauce has thickened up but the potatoes aren't cooked, rehydrate the sauce with ½ cup water and continue to cook, covered.)
- Add the sesame oil, stir, and remove from heat. Toss with toasted sesame seeds. Serve over rice with your choice of toppings.
Sesame carrots
- Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
Tangy cucumbers
- Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembling the bowl
- All ingredients (al gamja jorim, rice, sesame carrots, and tangy cucumbers) can be made ahead of time and assembled into a bowl when you're ready to eat.
- Start with a bed of hot rice. Top with warm potatoes and your choice of toppings (fresh julienned spinach, sesame carrots, tangy cucumbers, kimchi, nori, bean sprouts, green onion, and toasted sesame seeds.) Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe inspiration from Maangchi
Tracy
This was incredible!! I made it for dinner w/fresh potatoes that I just harvested from my garden. I made the carrot & cuke sides first. Then per a few other comments, I put the baby potatoes in a pan with about 1c water, simmered until tender. Drained & added the sesame oil and got them crispy. Then added the sauce ingredients. Worked perfectly! Served with some mung bean banchan I made while the potatoes were going.
★★★★★
Yvette T
Love the potatoes!!! They are delicious!!! This has become our new family favorite ♥️
★★★★★
Lorie
The flavor is good but the potatoes get mushy. They were wonderful when you cook them in oil - nice and crispy on the outside. Then you put them in all the liquid and they get mushy. You completely lose the crispiness that you attained in the first step. If I make them again, I would switch those two steps.
Braden
This potato recipe looks unique but delicious. I can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing Brittany!
Brittany
Thanks so much Braden!
Monique
Haha! I meant diced potato. oops. XD
Monique
I'm nervous about the potatoes cooking up too fast and becoming mushy. XD
If I cooked diced tomato without the water and added all the other sauce ingredients on top when they were nearly done, think they would be about as good? Or do you think the simmer adds something special that I would be missing out on?
Brittany
Hi Monique! I'd strongly suggest trying the recipe as-is first. I'm not sure how good diced tomatoes would be in this recipe, it might really throw off the flavours. And you'll need the simmer to cook the potatoes, I promise they won't be mushy, just test them early if you're nervous!
Alex
Great. Korean food is great and I was worried I'd miss out on it going plant-based, what with the beef, the fish sauce, the kimchi and the like. But, with a bit of creativity, we really don't have to miss out on much at all!
★★★★★
Brittany
Thanks Alex! That's so true. There are lots of creative ways to get around using non-vegan ingredients. 🙂
Dave
I wanted to try these little potatoes but how much starch is in these do you know? as I am border line diabetic and don`t know if these would be good for me or not.
Thanks
Dave
Brittany
Hi Dave! I'm not sure what your needs are so it's probably better for you to see the nutritional info for yourself: Here's a link to the info for the Little Potatoes. I hope that helps!
Cheryl
This meal looks delicious. I also recommend the Little Potatoes . The flavour is so good, and they are super easy and quick to prepare. Our summer visitors loved them.?
Brittany
Oh that is so awesome Cheryl! Thanks for sharing 😀
Koko
Wowowow this looks absolutely amazing. I do the same thing when I fall into a food rut....attempt something totally new-to-me! The flavours in this look off the hooooook!
Brittany
Ah! Thank you SO much Koko!
Bernice Hill
This is a nice little vegan bowl. I know I can see my daughter struggle with her food issues...I sometimes wonder if she is getting enough variety as a vegan as she really tends to fixate on certain combos.
Brittany
Thanks Bernice! Sorry to hear your daughter is struggling with food, I've been there and it's a really difficult place to be. The book Intuitive Eating really changed things for me. (I'm not sure if I'm reading into your comment correctly, I apologize if I'm not!) A blood test specific for vegans could ease your mind. I was a little concerned about William's diet (he tends to eat less calories and a less varied diet than I do) but he recently got a full blood test (paying specific attention to nutrients vegans good be lacking) and everything turned out fine!
Redawna
I love Little Potatoes as well! The Chilean Splash are a favourite.
What a fantastic recipe. It looks so fresh and delicious.
Bookmarking to try.
Have a spectacular weekend.
Brittany
Thanks Redawna! Yes, Little Potatoes are AWESOME! I hope you have a great weekend too! 😀