Gamjatang 감자탕 - Korean Potato Stew

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I like to eat korean food but don't know about this Gamjatang (Potato Stew) until my girlfriend, J, told me about it. J is very into Korean food because her husband is a korean. J was so excited that she found a place in Singapore that sells really nice Gamjatang. I don't really know exactly which restuarant, i only know that it's located at Bugis area. I will find out from her again next time.

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I chance upon this Gamjatang recipe from Kitchen Wench Blog and since J said that Gamjatang so nice, so i decided to give it a try. I did not follow the steps exactly, because it was too tedious. My Gamjatang turned out still as good, but had i follow the steps more in detail, the stew would be even better. Thanks to Kitchen Wench for sharing the recipe.

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Potato Stew - Gamja Tang - 감자탕

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Ingredients

-1Kg pork spine bones (with meat on)

-1/3 head Chinese cabbage, rinsed and core cut out

-5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and chopped in half

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Soup Stock

-1 large yellow onion, peeled

-2-3 spring onions

-1/2 tsp black peppercorns

-1 head of garlic, peeled

-1 knob of ginger

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Seasoning

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-1/2 head of garlic, minced

-2 tbsp doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)

-1 tbsp gochujjang (Korean fermented red chilli paste)

-1 tbsp gochugaru (coarse red chilli powder)

-1 tbsp finely ground perilla seed powder
-Salt

-Pepper

-Sesame seeds

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Method
1. Trim the bones of any large white globs of fat that you can see, then immerse the bones in water for an hour to soak out the blood. Drain the bones, then put them into a large pot and cover with water. Slowly bring to a boil and leave to boil for 5 minutes, then throw out the water and drain the bones.

2. Give them a good clean under cold water, making sure you get rid of any scum clinging to their surfaces, then put them back in the pot and once again fill the pot so the bones are covered, then add all the ingredients under ‘Soup Stock‘ (onion, spring onions, peppercorns, garlic, ginger). Slowly bring to a simmer and leave to simmer for about 4-5 hours, or till the meat is tender and beginning to fall off the bone.
3. While the meat and soup stock is simmering, bring a smaller pot of water to the boil and add the Chinese cabbage leaves. Leave them for 1-2 minutes just to blanch them, then remove them and give a quick rinse under cold water to stop them cooking further. Drain, and once they have cooled down, rip them into long shreds with your hands.
4. Once the soup has finished boiling, carefully remove the bones to a bowl and strain the soup, be careful to reserve the liquid (we are just removing the soup stock ingredients). Pour strained soup back into the pot, add the meat and potatoes and the seasoning ingredients (garlic, doenjang, gochujang, gochugaru, perilla seed powder), stir together and taste. At this stage, if you think you’d like it spicier, add more gochugaru to taste.
5. Boil the soup till the potatoes are completely cooked through, then add the blanched cabbage leaves and add salt, pepper and sesame seeds to taste. Simmer till the cabbage is tender and cooked through, then serve alongside rice and banchan.

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*Recipe adapted from Kitchen Wench Blog. I had reduced the chilli powder amount because i find it quite spicy after adding the red chilli paste. Original recipe used 2kg pork soine bone.

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