In Korea, there are many rest stops along the major highways. The best thing about Korean rest stops is the different kinds of snack foods to try. Rest Stop Gamja is one of the popular rest stop foods. With less than five ingredients, you can make this delicious snack. Potatoes fried in butter with just the right amount of saltiness will make your mouth very happy. Try this someday. 😉
Yield: 2 Servings
Short Korean Lesson
- HyuGyeSo (휴게소) = Rest Stop
- GamJa (감자) = Potato
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- 10 Baby Potatoes (About 10 oz)
- 2⅓ Cups Water
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- Parsley Leaves for Garnishing (Optional)
Directions
Prepare 10 baby potatoes (about 10 oz). If you don’t have baby potatoes, you can cut normal potatoes into baby potato sized pieces.
Peel the potatoes, and keep them in cold water to prevent them from turning brown.
In a pan, add about 2⅓ cup of water, 10 baby potatoes, and 1 tsp of salt. Once the water starts to boil, cook them for about 15 to 20 minutes on high.
Poke the potato with a chopstick or fork to see if it is done. If it goes through smoothly it is done. Drain any leftover water if there is any.
Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a pan.
Add the cooked potatoes into the heated pan, and fry them on medium-low.
Turn them occasionally so that the potatoes become evenly browned. Once the surface of the potatoes become golden brown, they are done. It is important not to fry them on high, so that they will absorb the butter flavor before burning.
Try one and sprinkle a little bit of salt on them if needed. If you have parsley, you can sprinkle some of that on them for garnishing. They taste best when they are warm and fresh. Enjoy! 🙂
hi unnie!
wow! ths is very easy to make….looks delicious too!^^
btw, can i substitute it with sweet potato…?
😉
hi Han Su Rii,
You can if you want.. just the taste will not be same.. because potato taste different from sweet potato. 😉
That looks pretty delicious, I’m going to look for these next time I hit the road here in Korea! 😉
Aeri,
Can’t wait to try this! My husband and I live in Korea and we almost always order this when we go to the 휴게소. It’s delicious! Now I will be able to make it. ^^ Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Yummy- i LOVE these potatoes and always look for them at the rest stops. Can’t wait to try this out!!
Yummy! My Belgian hisband will love these, he loves all of the ingredients already. Thanks!
Thanks Aeri for the recipe! Tried this as soon as I saw it posted and it was a hit with my boyfriend! He asked me to make it again so we bought some cute baby potatoes the other day at the grocery store^^ 정말 고마워요 Aeri for so many awesome recipes!
I will try this one out next week, Aeri! Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing! 😉
i made this! it taste great! my mother and i love it very much! thanks aeri! 😀
I’ve made these twice in a week. They have always been my husband’s favorite rest stop food. Delicious!
Hay Aeri Lee.
It tastes really good. I tried it today and im really glad that i found your website.
I love korea and the food.
I tried this as a snack for my husband and daughter, and sadly the potato fell apart in the fry pan. Perhaps it was the type of potato I used? What type of potato works best with this recipe? I used regular small russet potatoes. Maybe I should try red or yukon gold potatoes? 😀
Yeah, it definitely has to do with the type of potatoes. I was looking up some recipes before, and it said the right type of potato has to be used for texture (as in, one type is better for mashed potatoes while others are better for potato salad -where the potato needs to hold its shape).
I can’t remember exactly, but I think they said russet potatoes are too starchy (don’t quote me on that ^^;) to hold their shape.
hi Sue,
If you can find, use baby potato that you don’t have to cut.. I used yellow skin baby potatoes. thanks
Hi Aeri, I just went to a highway rest stop two weeks ago! I love stopping for rest stop food, it’s so fun. Do you miss them? Here’s some photos of rest stop food for you: http://daughterofkorea.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-favorite-korean-things-highway-rest.html
🙂
hi Ajummapower,
Thanks for the link. they made me hungry for them 🙂 hehe.. yep..I miss them a lot.. everything about korea.. lol
Hi Aeri,
I’m stopping by to let you know that I made Kimchi with the napa cabbage. The only thing I didn’t like was the wait for it to ferment. I wanted to eat it right away. Result: delicious! Since it was a lot, I just made kimchi fried rice with it as well. Result: delicious once again! Then I made the rest stop GamJa for the whole family. My kids, husband, and I loved them. They are super easy to make and super delicious. Now, it’s part of our cuisine. lol I’m Puertorrican-Italian-American so I’m not sure what our cuisine is like because I can pretty much cook puertorrican cuisine, italian, american, guatemalan, and now Korean cuisine. Anyways, next, I’ll be making fish cakes. Got the recipe from your blog, bought the ingredients but forgot the garlic so I need to take another trip to the grocery store but I got to have some 🙂 Thanks so much for the recipes, details, photos, videos….all!
hi Lazarini,
Nice to meet you. Thanks for trying my recipes. I’m happy you like them. wow, you can cook many different country cuisine. that’s cool ~~ 🙂 Please visit more often . thanks 😀
Woooow! I tried it today and it’s awesome! I will cook again tomorrow 🙂 Thanks unnie! 😛