Korean · Authentic-ish Korean
Gamja Jeon
184 kcal a serving, against 257 for the traditional version. That is 73 kcal off, or 28%, with 9.3g of protein. Serves 4. 25 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Raw potatoes are grated, squeezed and mixed with the released starch, a pinch of salt, and sometimes a spring onion or two. The mixture is pressed into a single large pancake or smaller rounds, then pan-fried in plenty of oil until bronzed and crisp on both sides. Served hot with a dipping sauce of soy and vinegar.
What changed, and what each change costs
Cut potato from 600g to 500g, add 120g firm tofu, and an egg white
Potato is mostly water and starch, so you don't get much protein for your trouble. I bring in tofu and egg white - they quietly disappear in the batter and push the protein up without changing the taste much. The pancake stays tender inside and the boost isn't obvious until you do the maths.
What it costs you. The pure potato flavour is dialled down a touch, and the pancake's interior is a little less fluffy, a little more cohesive. But unless you're counting potato fibres for sport, you probably won't mind.
Oil for frying cut from 60g to 15g, applied with a pastry brush
The original swims its way to a crisp crust. Here, I brush the frying pan with oil, top and bottom, then give it one more around half-time. You'll still get colour and some crunch, but corners won't be quite as fragile or crisped.
What it costs you. You lose the proper lacy, glass-shard edges that come from shallow-frying. But for what you save in oil, the trade's not so painful. Eat it hot, share the dipping sauce, and you'll barely notice unless you're staring at someone else's Instagram.
Salt in the batter cut from 6g to 3g, dipping sauce left the same
With less oil, the salt stands out that much more. A lighter hand in the mix lets you salt properly at the table, where you can taste what you're doing.
What it costs you. The potato itself tastes just a hair less punchy. Dunk it in the dipping sauce as nature intended - you'll make it up there.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 257 | 184 |
| Protein | 3.8g | 9.3g |
| Fat | 15.2g | 6.5g |
| Saturated fat | 2g | 0.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 27.2g | 23.7g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.5g | 5.1g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Korean prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs, gluten, soybeans, sulphites.
The method is in the book
Gamja jeon is a pub snack for a reason: you eat it with mates, you fry it with more oil than is strictly necessary, and you eat it while it's still hissing. I've gone lighter on the oil and snuck in some tofu and egg white, which means it's not quite the binge-worthy classic but it's close enough for a Tuesday night. If you're after the real crunch, double the oil and take the hit - just don't pretend you can have both.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Korean, along with 51 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.