Soups & Stews

Gamja-guk (Potato Soup)

Name: Gamja-guk (Potato Soup)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: potatoes 1½ (about 250 g); onion 1/2; Korean leek (daepa) or scallions 1 stalk; dried anchovies (for stock) 6; dried kelp (dasima or kombu) one 5 cm piece; water 800 ml; guk-ganjang (soup soy sauce) 1 tsp; minced garlic 1/2 tsp; salt to taste

Simmer the potatoes in anchovy-kelp stock over gentle heat until they turn translucent. The onion adds sweetness, the leek adds aroma, and mashing one piece of potato thickens the broth slightly.

Prep 5 min · Cook 25 min · Total 30 min · 2 servings · Easy

한국어로 보기 (Korean version)

Steps

1
Put the anchovies and kelp in 800 ml water and boil over medium heat for 8 minutes, then remove them. Take the kelp out as soon as the water starts to boil.
Kelp that boils too long makes the stock slimy and bitter.
2
Remove any sprouts and green parts from the potatoes, cut them into thick half-moons, and rinse in cold water. Thinly slice the onion and leek.
3
Add the potatoes, onion, and minced garlic to the stock and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, until a fork slides easily into the potatoes.
Mash just one piece of potato into the broth to give it some body.
4
Season with guk-ganjang and salt, add the leek, simmer 1 minute more, and turn off the heat.
If the anchovies are salty, add only half the guk-ganjang and adjust with salt.

Substitutions

Instead of	Use	How
anchovies and kelp	kelp only, or plain water	Without anchovies, add a little more salt and simmer the onion well.
guk-ganjang	1/2 tsp fish sauce	Fish sauce is pungent, so add a bit more leek.

Storing leftovers

This soup is best eaten within a day. Cooled and refrigerated, it keeps for 1 day. If the potatoes have soaked up the broth when reheating, lift them out and bring just the broth to a rolling boil once. Potatoes turn mealy when frozen, so don't freeze it.

Serve with

Rice, kimchi, and a well-seasoned side dish such as braised anchovies or gyeran-mari (rolled omelette).

Making more or less

Adding more water dilutes the potatoes, so scale the potatoes up with the servings and adjust the salt separately at the end.

Before you cook

Don't use potato sprouts or green parts.
Remove the heads and guts from the anchovies so the stock doesn't turn bitter.

Questions

Why is my gamja-guk cloudy, with the potatoes falling apart?

Starch from the surface of the potatoes dissolves into the broth and clouds it. Rinse the cut potatoes once in cold water and don't boil them long over high heat. Season and turn off the heat as soon as a fork slides in, and the edges will hold together better.