Korean Potato Salad Recipe

Often served in a tidy scoop among the many banchan at a Korean restaurant, gamja salad is a sensory treat: cold and creamy, but with lots of crunch. It’s an excellent foil to Korean-style fried chicken, kalbi, bulgogi, and other Korean BBQ favorites.

Among the many versions that exist around the globe (Japanese! German! Austrian!), Korean potato salad stands out for its sweetness, ranging from subtle to overt, courtesy of a pinch or more of granulated sugar, diced apple, or sweet raisins. But the inclusion of onion and cucumbers is essential for the crispness they bring. Hard-boiled eggs are also key—the egg yolks provide extra richness and while the egg whites give a bouncy bite. All together, the texture lies somewhere between chunky American potato salad and smooth mashed potatoes. It’s superbly refreshing served cold as an appetizer or side dish at a cookout, and just as tasty at room temperature or still faintly warm from the pot.

Salting the onion, cucumbers, and carrot and letting them sit for a while is an important step that softens them just enough. Equally important is squeezing out the excess water the salting draws out. Squeeze as though you’re enraged—hard and thorough. The vegetables need to be rumpled, soft, and flexible before they’re folded into the potatoes.