Korean Potato Salad (Gamja Salad) Recipe
Korean Potato Salad (Gamja Salad) is a creamy, slightly sweet, and tangy side dish featuring tender boiled potatoes, crunchy cucumber, corn, carrots, and apple, all brought together with a mayo-based dressing enhanced with rice wine vinegar and sugar. It’s a refreshing and comforting salad often served chilled, perfect as a complement to Korean meals or as a tasty snack.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables & Fruits
- 2 cups potatoes (chopped into 1-inch pieces)
- ½ English cucumber (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup corn
- ¼ cup carrots (small dice, ¼ inch)
- ¼ cup apple (small dice, ¼ inch)
Proteins
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (cut to bite-sized pieces)
Seasonings & Dressing
- ½ teaspoon salt (for cucumber slices)
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 1 ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Salt the cucumber slices: Toss the thinly sliced cucumber with ½ teaspoon of salt to draw out excess moisture. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the moisture and drain well. Set aside.
- Cook the potatoes and carrots: Boil the chopped potatoes with a pinch of salt until fork-tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the diced carrots in the last 3 minutes of cooking to soften them. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare the eggs: Chop the hard-boiled eggs into bite-sized pieces. Optionally, finely crumble one egg yolk and reserve it for garnish.
- Make the dressing: In a bowl, mix together the mayo, rice wine vinegar, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste), and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooked potatoes, carrots, salted cucumber slices, corn, diced apple, and chopped eggs. Pour the dressing over the mixture and gently toss while mashing the potatoes to your preferred consistency.
- Serve: Serve the salad immediately or chill it in the refrigerator to serve cold. Garnish with the crumbled egg yolk if desired before serving. Enjoy this delicious Korean-style potato salad!
Notes
- Be sure to squeeze out cucumber moisture well to prevent watery salad.
- Boiling the carrots with potatoes softens them slightly but keeps a bit of crunch.
- Apple adds a fresh, sweet contrast—feel free to substitute with pear for variation.
- This salad tastes better when chilled, so refrigerate for at least 30 minutes if time allows.
- Adjust seasoning in the dressing to suit your preference, especially salt and sugar levels.
- Use Japanese or Korean mayo for authentic flavor, but regular mayo works fine as well.
Keywords: Korean potato salad, Gamja salad, Korean side dish, potato salad with mayo, Korean cuisine, easy potato salad
