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Soy sauce and honey turn into a shiny glaze in a short time
Photo: Sebastian Maas / DER SPIEGEL
What's the craziest thing about the fact that one of the most common swear words for Germans is the name of a tuber that was brought to Europe from Central America only 500 years ago?
That this word is absolutely not an insult - because FUCKING IT AGAIN: I love potatoes!
Fried, boiled, baked, it doesn't matter.
The potato is a global superstar.
So how do you get angry about being named after her?
Fun fact: A potato-loving official at the Federal Motor Transport Authority (who was also called Wirsing by his surname) turned all research on potato cultural history on its head in the 1990s by showing that potatoes had been in Germany since the middle of the century of the 17th century were grown en masse.
Before Mr. Wirsing took a closer look at the history of potatoes, the assumption was made in the middle of the 18th century.
Aha!
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According to Savoy, the first potatoes were planted in 1647 by a farmer in Upper Franconia who had received the tubers in what is now the Czech Republic from a Dutchman.
Not international enough yet?
Then I will now turn to today's court.
It comes from Korea - and, you guessed it, potatoes are the stars of it!
This time they are cooked and glazed in a smooth, sweet, salty and savory sauce, including their bowl: Gamja Jorim, the Korean name, taste like a warm hug for the tongue.
They are super easy to do and thus the reward for the unsolicited history lessons that you as a reader have had to endure up to this point in this column.
This is what you need for two servings:
1 kilo triplets (small potatoes with edible skin)
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
3 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of honey
5 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup of water
In addition: some oil for frying and optionally two fried eggs
How long does it take?
About 45 minutes
What does this cost?
Depending on how cheap the potatoes are, you end up with 1 to 1.50 euros per person.
Gamja Jorim: This is how you cook Korean potatoes with a honey-sesame glaze
The first and most important step is to thoroughly clean the potatoes.
Unlike usual, there is no cooking water today that can later be dumped away with some residual sand, because the potatoes cook in the sauce in which they are served.
So you rinse the triplets well under warm water and brush them off if necessary.
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Halve larger specimens, while smaller ones can remain whole.
Now you need a pan or casserole, in which all the potatoes can be placed lying down and are in contact with the hot surface.
In it you fry them - uncooked - for about 20 minutes.
Turn it often, otherwise it won't fry but burns.
If you don't have a large pan, you can roast the triplets for 25 minutes at 200 degrees in the oven.
Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and prepare the sauce.
Simply mix a cup (about 200 milliliters) of warm water with four tablespoons of honey, a dash of vinegar and five tablespoons of soy sauce until the honey has dissolved.
Once that is done, there is hardly any work left to do.
As soon as all the potatoes are pleasantly browned, put the sauce in the pot (if you work in the oven: in the pan) and let it boil.
Reduce the heat significantly after two minutes and let everything simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
Do not cover it so that the liquid can evaporate.
Stir gently once every five minutes.
Now add the garlic and sesame seeds and simmer for another five minutes.
You want the sauce to reduce so much that it is thick and about five to six tablespoons of it remain in the pan.
If the potatoes are already done, you can take them out while the sauce simmer for another two to three minutes.
In the last few minutes it gets very dark and rich, which is exactly what we want!
In South Korea, for example, Gamja Gorim would be eaten as a side dish to the barbecue, or simply served with a steaming bowl of white rice.
I like to fry fried eggs with it.
You don't need a recipe for this: the trick is to fry the eggs in a coated pan and not to touch them at all until they are dark and crispy at the bottom.
Leftover potatoes can be kept in the refrigerator for four to five days - but they taste best right after cooking.
And I bet there is nothing left.
Good Appetite!
PS: Potato detective Wirsing was also awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon.
In the Federal Gazette it is not mentioned whether for his potato research or for other vegetable-based investigations.
And Prussian King Friedrich II lost his reputation as the founder of the German potato cult after Wirsing's work was published.
A memorial was erected in Rehau, Bavaria, to the farmer who is said to have planted the first tuber on German soil in 1647.
Did you recreate the recipe? Or do you know great dishes that cost little money?
Write to me - or send me a picture of it.
