Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes (Kamja Bokkeum)

Frankly I have no idea whether this is originally a Chinese dish or a Korean dish.  We were served a big tray of this shredded potatoes in a Chinese New Year party that we attended.  I was seriously surprised that a dish that looked so unappealing and plain can be so tasty.  I didn't even want to try it at first but I told myself that I have to try every dish there and be adventurous.  I tried it and couldn't help but went back for a second!  Interestingly this dish is also served as a banchan in Korean restaurants.  Evy fell in love with this banchan and I wished I know how to make it.  I always looking for easy banchan to serve with my Korean meal, but I think nothing is easy when you have to make a few in a day.  Anyway, this is my version and it tasted a little bit different and I have no idea why, do you think they par-boiled the shredded potatoes first? Outcome is all of us loved this plain potato dish and that's what matter most.

Ingredients:

2 Red potatoes, preferably organic (you can use white or russet too)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Sea salt and freshly crushed black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil for stir-frying

Method:

1.  Washed and peeled the potato.  Then, use a shredder to shred the potato into tiny strings.  You can buy the shredder at Asian supermarket.  It was so useful for me but be careful when using it.  If you don't have that gadget, just thinly slice it with your knife.

2.  Then, soak it in a bowl of cold water until ready to use.  Before using, rinse with water and pat dry with paper towel.

3.  Heat up your frying pan with a little extra virgin olive oil.  When heated add garlic, stir-fry until slightly yellow and fragrant, add in shredded potatoes.  Stir-fry until cooked.  Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.  Serve warm or at room-temperature.