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Chicken

Better than Takeout – Wood Ear Mushroom & Velveted Chicken Stirfry

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Wood Ear Mushroom & Velveted Chicken Stirfry. If you like Wood Ear Mushrooms, you’ll absolutely love this dish! It’s simple to make, nutritious and works beautifully with a bowl of hot rice. Wood Ear Mushrooms are very popular in Chinese homecooking. (They’re also used in Korea’s Japchae Noodles). These mushrooms are very crunchy and add a nice contrast to soft veggies in stir-fries. Try ’em out!

You can find Wood Ear Mushrooms at most Asian markets. They are sold dried, so you’ll need to soak them in water before cooking.

For this dish, we will also velvet chicken. Velveting is a Chinese technique that keeps meat incredibly tender and juicy – the process locks in the chicken’s natural juices. It involves blanching the chicken in hot water (or oil) for a brief period of time. But if you’re running low on time… skip it!

Few cooking notes:

  • If you’re running low on time, no need to velvet the chicken – simply stir-fry with the mushrooms
  • Feel free swap out any mushroom with local ones
  • If the stir-fry sauces thickens too much – simply add in a few drizzles of water
  • Serving size: 2 people

That’s it folks! Bookmark this recipe – after you taste it, you’ll be back for more… 🕺

Note: The original recipe is from Shao Z. at Serious Eats (props to her!)

Print Recipe

Wood Ear Mushroom & Velveted Chicken Stirfry

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 250 grams Chicken Breast
  • 1/4 cup Dried Wood Ear Mushroom
  • 2 Shiitake Mushrooms (Or use any local mushroom)
  • 1 handful of Oyster Mushrooms (Or use any local mushroom)

For Velveting Chicken

  • 1 Tablespoon Egg White
  • 2 teaspoons (!) Corn Starch (Or Potato Starch)
  • 2 teaspoons (!) Mirim (Or any cooking wine)
  • 2 big pinches of Salt

Stir-Fry Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon (!) Corn Starch (Or Potato Starch)
  • 1 teaspoon (!) Sesame Oil
  • 2 teaspoons (!) Oyster Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon (!) Soy Sauce
  • 1 clove of Garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons of Water

Instructions

Velvet chicken

  • Cut chicken breasts into thin slices. Crack an egg and separate the yolk - we'll only use the white. Place the egg white into a small bowl and whisk it. Then scoop out (1 Tablespoon) of the egg-white and place into a mixing bowl. To this, add Corn Starch (2 teaspoons), Mirim (2 teaspoons) and Salt (2 big pinches). Give it a thorough mix. Then add in the chicken and mix - get it evenly coated.

Prep Ingredients

  • Place dried Wood Ear Mushrooms into warm water. Let it rehydrate for 15 minutes. Next, slice Shiitake Mushroom into small pieces. Then, trim the ends of the oyster mushrooms and separate the bundles with your hands.
  • Make Stir-Fry Sauce: Mix Corn Starch (1 teaspoon), Sesame Oil (1 teaspoon), Oyster Sauce (2 teaspoons), Soy Sauce (1 teaspoon), Mince 1 clove of Garlic, and Water (2 Tablespoons)
  • Now, let's check back on the wood ear mushrooms. They should have blossomed - and be much larger in size. Use a pair of kitchen scissors and snip off the small hard stems in the middle. If the mushroom are very big, split them in half as well.

Blanche Chicken

  • Fill a small pot or wok with water. Add-in a drizzle of vegetable oil. Give the coated chicken another mix. Then carefully add it to the boiling water. Mix the chicken pieces around with your chopstick so they don't stick. Then boil for only 40 seconds. Drain the water through a sieve. Set the chicken aside for now.

Do Stir-fry

  • Place wok on a medium-high heat. Add a few Tablespoons of vegetable oil into the frying pan. Once its hot, add the Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms in. Season them with a few pinches of salt (DON'T FORGET!). Then stir-fry for 2 minutes - you want the moisture in the mushrooms to cook-out. Now add in the Wood Ear Mushroom. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Then, empty the cooked mushrooms into a bowl and clean out the wok with a paper towel.
  • Next, we'll cook the chicken: Place in a few tablespoons of cooking oil. Once it's hot, add the blanched chicken in. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then add the cooked mushrooms back in. Next, add in the stir-fry sauce. Stir-fry everything for a final 30 seconds. (Note: If the sauce thickens too much - simply add in some water).
  • Serve with a bowl of hot rice - enjoy!

 

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Korean Buldak Fire Chicken

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Korean Buldak Fire Chicken. It’s a favorite drunk food for many late-nighters! An addictively stir-fried spicy chicken that’s been marinated in a variety of Korean spices. It became a hit-menu after a food company in Korea introduced a ridiculously spicy ramen called Ssamyang Hot Chicken Noodles! Chances are you’ve seen mukbang reviews on it on Youtube. (And no, they are not exaggerating – the spice is real!)

At my current age, I am not interested in having a “spice hangover” and spending the next day in the bathroom! But I do enjoy that buldak flavor. It’s a spice that’s strangely addictive. So I worked on a buldak recipe that brings that spice level down from a 9 to about a 6! Something that you could genuinely enjoy without sweating… alongside a cup of beer! To add more savoriness, we will throw in some gooey cheese. The combination is heavenly – and an immediate stress reliever!

Now, if you want to make it more spicy for yourself, there are a few ingredients that you can tweak:

  • Increase the Gochugaru from 3 Tablespoons to 4.
  • Increase the Diced Chili Peppers from 2 Tablespoons to 4.

That should do the trick! But again, its up to you… heaven 😇 or hell 👹

Daniel out!

Print Recipe

Korean Buldak Fire Chicken

Ingredients

  • 600 grams Chicken Breast (Or Chicken Thigh)
  • 1/2 whole Onion
  • 2 handfuls Mozzarella Cheese
  • A handful of Green Onion (Garnish)

Buldak Sauce

  • 2 Tablespoons Gochujang
  • 3 Tablespoons Gochugaru
  • 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • 2 Tablespoons Mirim
  • 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
  • 5-6 shakes Black Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Cheongyang Chili Pepper (Or Jalapeno Pepper)

Instructions

Chicken Prep

  • Cut chicken breast (or thighs) into bite-sized pieces.
  • Then make the Buldak marinade: Mix Gochujang (2 Tablespoons), Gochuguar (3 Tablespoons), Soy Sauce (3 Tablespoons), Sugar (1 Tablespoon), Honey (1 Tablespoon), Mirim (2 Tablespoons), Minced Garlic (1 Tablespoon), Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon), Oyster Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Black Pepper (5-6 shakes), Cheongyang Chili Pepper (2 Tablespoons)
  • Then cut and onion into thin strips. Add it to the chicken and give another good stir. Let it all marinate for 1 hour.

Cook Buldak Chicken

  • Place some vegetable oil into a frying pan or wok. Place it on a medium-high heat. Once its hot, place in the chicken. Give it a few good stirs - then place a lid on. Let it cook for 2 minutes.
  • After 2 minutes, open the lid and give another a good stir. Now reduce to a medium heat. Let it gently simmer for 2 more minutes - without the lid. Take the frying pan off the heat and briefly set it aside.

Bake Chicken

  • Take out an oven-friendly bowl (or microwave-friendly). Add a layer of Mozzarella cheese. Then add a few scoops of the chicken. Spread on another layer of cheese. Then scoop on another layer of the chicken. Finish with another top layer of cheese.
  • Place the bowl into oven (or microwave) and cook until the cheese melts and start to bubble.
  • Take it out and garnish with some chopped green onions. Serve with an ice-cold beer!

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Dak Hanmari – Korea’s One Chicken Soup

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Dak Hanmari. It’s a famous local chicken stew that you’ll only find in Korea! So what is it? It’s one whole chicken that is slowly cooked to render a deep-tasting chicken broth. A handful of potato and rice cakes are added. Then served with a flavorful soy dipping sauce topped off with garlic, chili pepper and thinly sliced cabbage. The stew is served to your table like a hot-pot – blowing savory steam into your face. After you’re done munching on all the chicken pieces, you can boil the leftover broth to cook some fresh Kalguksu Noodles. It’s like a set menu made with one whole chicken! Now, allow me to show you how to bring out that restaurant flavor at home.

Dak-Hanmari-HeroImage

A few cooking notes:

  • Use a 1kg of mixed chicken pieces (drumstick & thighs). But they should have the skin-on! (That’s where the flavor comes from)
  • After cooking the broth, don’t forget to season it with salt, black pepper and minced garlic.
  • The soy dipping sauce is key! The recipe below includes asian chives – but it’s optional. Tastes great with just the sliced green cabbages!
  • This will be enough for 2 hungry people.
  • This recipe – which was originally made by Chef Baek Jong Won – came out perfect! The broth tastes exactly like my favorite Dak Hanmari restaurants near Sinchon, Seoul.

If you try it out at home, tag us on Instagram. (We really enjoy seeing your dishes!)

That’s it folks – see you next week with anuh-duh recipe! Dan-yul out! 🕺

Dak-Hanmari-HeroImage
Print Recipe

Dak Hanmari - One Chicken Soup

Ingredients

Chicken Broth

  • 1 kg Chicken (Mix of Drumsticks & Thigh, Skin-On)
  • 1 whole Onion
  • 1 stalk Spring Onion (Use the white portion)
  • 6.5 cups Water
  • 2 Tablespoons Mirim (Or any white cooking wine)
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger (Optional)
  • 6-8 Whole Black Pepper

Stew Ingredients & Flavoring

  • 1/2 Tablespoon Salt
  • 6-7 shakes Black Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
  • 2 Medium-Sized Potatoes (Each size of your palm)
  • 2 stalks Spring Onion (Include some of the green part)
  • 1 handful Rice Cake (Tteok)
  • 3 Jujubes (optional, skip if you don't have)
  • 1 serving Kalguksu Noodles (optional, if you're extra hungry)

Dipping Sauce Fresh Ingredients

  • Handful of Cabbage
  • Handful of Asian Chives (Optional)
  • 1 clove Garlic

Base Soy Sauce

  • 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons of Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Water

Gochugaru Sauce

  • 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1.5 Tablespoons Gochugaru

Instructions

Make Chicken Broth

  • Trim off any extra fat from each of the chicken pieces. Get out a large pot. Place in 1kg of chicken pieces. Then cut your onion in half. Add them into the pot. Then add a spring onion stalk (the white portion) in as well. Then add in 6.5 cups of water (1500 ml). Add Mirim (2 Tablespoons), Minced Ginger (1 teaspoon) and Whole Black Pepper (6-7). Place the pot on a high heat and bring it up to boil.
  • Once it comes to boil, use a soup ladle and scoop-off the scum that rises to the top. Then place a lid on and reduce the heat to a MEDIUM-HIGH. Set a timer for 20 minutes (note: if it boils too violently, reduce heat to a MEDIUM)

Prep Fresh Ingredients & Make Sauce

  • In the meanwhile, cut the cabbage into thin slices. And chop the asian Chives into small pieces as well.
  • Now we'll make our sauce. Let's start with the first one: Mix Soy Sauce (1/4 cup), Sugar (1/2 Tablespoon), Vinegar (2 Tablespoons) and Water (1/2 cup). Set it aside.
  • Next make the second sauce. Scoop out some chicken broth from your pot (1/2 cup) and add it to a bowl. Then add in gochugaru (1.5 Tablespoons). Stir it throughly and set it aside.

Build Chicken Stew

  • After 20 minutes of boiling, turn the heat off. Remove the soft veggies from the pot and toss them out. Carefully move the chicken pieces to a large serving wok or a frying pan with high walls. Then transfer the broth as well.
  • Next, let's season the chicken broth: Add Salt (1/2 Tablespoon), 6-7 shakes of Black Pepper and Minced Garlic (1 Tablespoon).
  • Next, let's add fresh ingredients to the stew: Cut the 2 potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Add them in. Then chop your spring onion stalk into smaller pieces (includes some of the green parts of the stalk). Add that in as well. Next, add in a handful of Korean Rice Cakes (tteok) and three jujubes (optional) if you have them. Place the heat on a Medium-High and bring it up to boil when you're ready to serve.

Prep Dipping Sauce

  • Place a small handful of sliced cabbage, asian chives into a dipping tray. Then mash-up 1 clove of garlic and add that in as well. Pour in the Base Soy Sauce. Then add a few spoonfuls of the Gochugaru Sauce. Now your sauce is ready.

Enjoy Stew & Make Noodles Afterwards

  • Once the soup is boiling and the potatoes turn soft, dig in! Bon Appetit.
  • Remember to save some of the broth if you want to make noodles afterwards.
  • To make Kalguksu Noodles: Bring the leftover broth back up to a boil. Wash-off the extra flour from the fresh kalguksu noodles. Then add it into the leftover broth. (Feel free to add in some water if you're low on broth.) Then season-to-taste with a few pinches of salt and black pepper. Plate and enjoy!!

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Gochujang Chicken & Cucumber Naengguk

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Gochujang Chicken & Cucumber Naengguk. Today, let’s do some yin & yang. We’ll combine a HOT dish with a COLD soup. For the hot dish, we’ll grill-up some gochujang chicken! With gochujang, you can make a delicious, savory marinade in minutes. We’ll pair that with Cold Korean Cucumber Soup! In Korean, it’s also known as Oi Naengguk (오이냉국). My mother loves to make this as a banchan during the summer. It’s cool, tart and refreshes your palate. Ready to roll?

Gochujang Chicken

Cucumber Soup

For the Gochujang Chicken, I recommend skin-on, boneless chicken thighs. The skin will cook and release its natural juices into the pan – mixing with the gochujang and creating deep flavor. Also keep the frying pan on a low heat when cooking the chicken. Anything higher and the gochujang sauce will burn before the chicken is ready.

For the Chilled Cucumber Soup, a key step is use a blender. This ensures that each ingredient is evenly mixed through – especially the minced garlic. If you’re sensitive to garlic, I would recommend reducing the garlic amount from 1 Tablespoon to 1/2 Tablespoon. Or you can even skip it – tastes good without it as well. Also, this soup is meant to be served cold! Make sure to drop-in a few ice-cubes before serving.

(Pro-Tip: If the soup tastes too garlick-y or tart, simply add a few more ice cubes. As they melt, they will dilute the soup and make it taste perfect.)

Alrighty, that’s it – Enjoy Neighbors! I hope you’re enjoying your time in the kitchen with these recipes. This week, I challenge you to turn on some music in the kitchen, dance a bit and get funky! 🕺 Make your own fun!

Gochujang Chicken
Print Recipe

Gochujang Chicken & Oi Naengguk

Ingredients

Gochujang Chicken

  • 300-600 grams Chicken Thigh (Boneless, Skin-On)
  • 4 Tablespoons Gochujang
  • 2 Tablespoons Gochugaru
  • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Mirim
  • 3 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

Cold Cucumber Soup (Oi Naengguk)

  • 1 Whole Cucumber
  • Few shakes of Salt (For wilting the cucumber)
  • 1 Red Chili Pepper (Optional)
  • 4-5 Ice Cubes

Cold Cucumber Broth

  • 2 & 1/3 Cup Water (or use 600ml)
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • 4 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic (add 1/2 Tablespoon if sensitive to garlic)
  • Few shakes Sesame Seeds

Instructions

Gochujang Chicken

  • Take out mixing bowl and thoroughly mix: Gochujang (4 Tablespoons), Gochugaru (2 Tablespoons), Soy Sauce (2 Tablespoons), Mirim (2 Tablespoons), Sugar (3 Tablespoons), Minced Garlic (1 Tablespoon)
  • Take out a bowl or plate. Rub the gochujang marinade onto both sides of the chicken thigh. Then let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (longer the better)
  • Take out a frying pan and place on medium heat. Place some oil into the pan. Once the pan is hot, reduce heat to a LOW (this is important!). Then place each chicken piece skin-side down first. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 3-5 minutes.
  • After 3-5 minutes, flip the chicken. Then put the lid back on. After another 3-5 minutes, check on the chicken. It should be done by now.
  • Let it rest for a few minutes. Then cut into thin strips and garnish with chives. Serve with a bowl of rice!

Oi Naengguk

  • Take out a mixing bowl. Fill with 600ml of water (or roughly 2 & 1/3 cups). Add Salt (1 Tablespoon), Sugar (4 Tablespoons) and Vinegar (6 Tablespoons) and Minced Garlic (1 Tablespoon). Give it a thorough mix.
  • Then pour mixture into a blender. Blitz it for 15-20 seconds. Then chill in the refrigerator until it gets very cold.
  • In the meanwhile, julienne one cucumber into thin strips. Sprinkle 2-3 large pinches of salt over the thin strips. Toss it and set it aside for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the strips will have wilted and release some water. Wash it under running water and wash-off all the salt. Then use your hands to squeeze the water out of the cucumber strips. Set aisde.
  • De-seed the red chili pepper. Then cut the chili pepper into thin slices.
  • Take the mixture out of the refrigerator. Pour it into a bowl. Add the cucumber strips in. Then a few pieces of the red chili pepper. Then a few shakes of sesame seeds.
  • Finally, drop-in a few ice cubes. This soup tastes best when served extra cold! Bon Appetit!

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Seoul Dakbokkeumtang Recipe – with big potatoes!

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Dakbokkeumtang – also known as Dakdoritang. It’s one of our favorite chicken recipes! We made our first version 2 years ago. Since then, we have tried various recipes and wanted to re-introduce a new delicious recipe. What’s changed? We wanted to bring down the spice level by reducing the amount of gochugaru – using equal part gochujang instead. We also replaced the sugar with honey and grated onion- which gives a more balanced sweetness. Finally, we also added anchovy-kelp broth to make the broth uber-delicious.

dak bokkeum tang

Key cooking notes: 

  • The key variable for this dish is time – cook it on a medium heat (with a lid on) for 30 minutes. Then add the carrots in and reduce for another 10 minutes. The sauce should reduce into a curry-like consistency.
  • This dish is too spicy to eat by itself – serve with a bowl of rice
  • This should serve 3-4 people (depending on how hungry you are)
  • If you want to increase servings to 2 whole chickens (2kg//4.5 lbs), multiply the marinade measurements by 1.5.

I hope ya’ll really try making this at home – so delicious!! Let me know how the spice-level was for you 😄

Dan-yuuul Out 🤠

dak bokkeum tang
Print Recipe

Seoul Dakbokkeumtang Recipe

Ingredients

Stew Ingredients

  • 1 kg Chicken (Drumsticks, thighs, all ok) (2 lbs)
  • 250 ml of Milk (enough to submerge chicken pieces)
  • 3 Medium-Sized Potatoes
  • 1/2 a whole Carrot
  • 1 whole Onion
  • 2 Cheongyang chili peppers (or 1 Jalapeno Pepper) (optional)
  • 1 forearm-sized piece of Spring Onion (for garnish)
  • 2 Cups Anchovy-Kelp Broth (Or use water)

Spicy Marinade

  • 10 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
  • 4 Tablespoons of Gochujang
  • 2 Tablespoons of Gochugaru
  • 6 Tablespoons of Honey
  • 1/2 a whole Onion (Grate this)
  • 1 Tablespoon of Mirim (or use any white cooking wine)
  • 1 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic (~5 cloves)
  • Few shakes of Black Pepper

Instructions

Prep chicken

  • Trim excess skin and the fatty portions off each chicken piece. Place the pieces into a mixing bowl and cover with milk. Let it soak in the milk for at least 30 minutes.

Chop veggies

  • Peel the potatoes and cut them once in half (don't dice into small pieces - we want the potatoes big!). Then roughly chop the carrot, chili peppers, onion and spring onion into small pieces.

Make Spicy Marinade

  • Let's make the marinade: First, use a cheese-grater and grate 1/2 a whole onion. Then mix the following ingredients: Soy Sauce (10 Tablespoons), Gochujang (4 Tablespoons), Gochugaru (2 Tablespoons), Honey (6 Tablespoons), Grated Onion, Mirim (1 Tablespoon), Minced Garlic (1 Tablespoon) and Black Pepper (few shakes).

Make Anchovy-Kelp Broth

  • This step is optional - you can always use regular water. Take out an anchovy-kelp broth bag and cook to package instructions. Measure 2 cups of the broth.

Cook Stew.

  • After 30 minutes, drain the milk. Then wash the milk off each chicken piece under running water. Set the chicken aside in a strainer and let it drip-off excess water. 
  • Now place each chicken piece into a large pot or wok. Place 2 cups of the anchovy-kelp broth (or water) in. Add in all of the spicy marinade. Place on high heat and bring the pot up to a boil. 
  • Once it comes up to a boil, place in the potatoes. Then reduce the heat to a medium-heat. Place a (proper-fitting) lid on - lol! Now reduce it for 30 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, open the lid. Give the ingredients a good stir. Then use a soup ladle and skim-off the oil and scum. Place the lid back on and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
  • After the full 30 minutes, open the lid and place-in the carrots, onions and chili peppers. Now we'll reduce for another 10 minutes - so the carrots can turn soft
  • After 10 minutes, it should be finished! Check that the potatoes and carrots are soft. Then garnish with spring onion slices. Plate the dish and serve with a bowl of rice. Bon Appetit!

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Karaage Chicken & Banchans

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Karaage Chicken & Bachans. When I was an exchange student in Tokyo, one of my favorite things to see on the dining hall lunch menu was Karaage. Now, every country has their own version of Fried Chicken. This happens to be Japan’s version – and it’s damn good! My only complaint about eating Karaage in Japan is that they only give 3 or 4 pieces!! So it’s a guilty pleasure to fry-it up at home and splurge. Easily knock-down 10-15 pieces heh! We’ll also pair the fried goodness with some fresh Korean banchans. Together, a heavenly dosirak combo ⛅️

Karaage Chicken

This Karaage chicken recipe is pretty much fail-proof. The only thing is to allow enough time for the chicken to soak-in the marinade. Give at least one hour in the refrigerator. In the recipe video, I also use a few shakes of ginger powder. You can also substitute this powder with freshly grated ginger – 1/2 teaspoon should be enough.

The first banchan is called Mu Namul Jorim (무나물조림). In Korea, you’ll find it served as an ingredient in Bibimbap, but it also tastes great on its own. This banchan is very healthy and takes less than 15 minutes. If you’re cooking it for the first time, I would recommend following our portion size. That way, you know what it should taste like and then you can make it in larger batches afterwards. Feel free to fine-tune the seasoning to your taste-buds.

The second banchan that I refer to in the video is Gwali Gochu Muchim (꽈리고추무침). You can find my mom’s recipe here. Gwali Peppers are hard to find outside of Korean markets, so you can use okra instead. This banchan works very well as a side dish to meat-y main dishes.

If you try making it at home, snap a photo on IG and share with us!

Neighbors, have an amazing, bless’d week ya’ll! Here is a nice quote that I am reflecting on lately:

Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different -C.S Lewis

Karaage Chicken
Print Recipe

Karaage Chicken & Mu Jorim Namul

Course: Easy
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

Chicken Karaage

  • 300 grams Boneless Chicken Thigh
  • 1 Egg
  • Enough Potato Starch (Or Corn Starch)

Chicken Marinade

  • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
  • 3-4 shakes Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Mirim
  • Few Shakes Black pepper
  • 3-4 shakes Ginger Powder (or use 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger)

Mu Namul Jorim (Korean Radish Namul Jorim)

  • 300 g Korean Radish (Mu) (Measure the length of your pinky)
  • Small piece Spring onion (Green onions ok)
  • 1/4 cup Water
  • 1 teaspoon Coarse Salt (If using regular salt, use 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 1 teaspoon Minced garlic
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Perilla Oil
  • Few shakes Ginger Powder (skip if you don't have powder)
  • Few shakes Black Pepper
  • Few shakes Sesame seeds

Instructions

Chicken Karaage

  • Cut chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces (keep skin on). Place pieces into a strainer and give a quick rinse under cold water. Then set it aside for a few minutes and let it drip-off the excess water. Afterwards, place into a mixing bowl. 
  • Add the following ingredients into the mixing bowl: Soy Sauce (2 Tablespoons), Salt (3-4 shakes), Sugar (1 teaspoon), Mirim (1 Tablespoon), Black pepper (few shakes), Ginger Powder (3-4 shakes or 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger). Give a thorough mix.
  • Place plastic wrap over the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 
  • After 1 hour, take it out of the refrigerator. Crack in one egg into the bowl. Then use a pair of chopsticks and gently stir-it into the mixture. 
  • Take out a plastic bag (or ziploc bag). Pick-out each chicken piece from the bowl and place into the bag. (Don't dump it in - we don't want all the liquid).
  • Next, add enough potato starch to cover the chicken. Close the bag and give it a good shake. Flip the bag upside down and shake it as well to get all the sides evenly coated. (Add more starch powder if needed.)
  • Put oil into a frying pan or pot. Place on medium-high heat and bring the oil up to 180C (350F). Now, gently place each chicken in and cook until dark-golden brown.
  • Optional: You can pick-out the chicken when they're about 80% done. Raise the temperature of the oil and place back-into the oil for a double-fry. It leads to an even crispier skin.
  • Serve with rice and enjoy!

Mu Namul Jorim (Korean Radish Namul Jorim)

  • Cut off a finger-length piece of Korean Radish. (It's better to use the green part because it's sweeter). Then cut the piece into thin cross sections and then julienne into match-stick pieces. 
  • Slice spring onion piece into thin pieces as well.
  • Take out a large pot. Place-in the Korean Radish pieces. Then put in some amount of water (1/4 cup). Now, place the pot on a high heat and bring it up to boil with the lid on.
  • Once it comes to boil, reduce the heat to a medium-low. Then take off the lid and season with coarse salt (1 teaspoon). Place the lid back-on and let it cook for 1 minute (or until the radish turns soft). 
  • Now, place the cooked radish pieces into a mixing bowl. Add-in the spring onion pieces.  And finally the seasoning: Minced Garlic (1 teaspoon), Perilla Oil (1/2 Tablespoon), Ginger Powder (few shakes), Black Pepper (few shakes) and Sesame Seeds (few shakes). Toss throughly and serve it up.
  • Eat with rice and enjoy!

 

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Korean Green Chili & Parmesan Wings

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Korean Green Chili & Parmesan Wings. Yes it’s quite a long name for a recipe. I shall be more creative next time 💡But it’s been a while since we’ve done chicken wings (last one was Maple Soy Sauce Wings). And I’ve been really craving them. I think it’s from staying up late-night, cheering on my alma mater in College Football (Go Notre Dame! 🍀)

Korean Green Chili Parmesan Chicken Wings

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This baked wings recipe is incredible! The combination of green chili, parmesan cheese and garlic is explosive – like a flavor bomb. Reminded me of the kick-you-in-the-face flavors you find at food trucks in LA! Now, you may feel intimidated as we’re using 5 chili peppers! But rest assured, the chili loses its spice (~70%) as it bakes in the heat. And you’re left with a (gentle) spice with a little bit of attitude.

This weekend, whip out the blender, throw-in the aromatics, slather your wings and pop them in the oven. Easy as 1-2-3. Pour yourself a glass of wine and dance around in the kitchen.

Dan-yul out 🕺

Note: This recipe is originally from Recipe Factory. If you can read Korean, check them out.

Korean Green Chili Parmesan Chicken Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Korean Green Chili & Parmesan Wings

Delicious Baked Wings made with Green Chilis & Parmesan Cheese.
Course: Easy
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • Chicken Wings - 15 
  • Cheongyang chili pepper - 5 peppers or use 2 Jalapeno peppers
  • Garlic - 4 cloves
  • Parmesan Cheese - 4 Tablespoons
  • Sugar - 1.5 Tablespoons
  • Olive oil - 3 Tablespoons
  • Salt - 1 teaspoon !
  • Black pepper - few shakes

Instructions

  • Take out a food-processor or blender.
  • Take the stems off the Chili Peppers (5 peppers). Chop them into smaller pieces. Then place inside the blender.
  • Cut the ends off the Garlic (4 cloves) and toss into the blender.  
  • Now add-in: Parmesan Cheese (4 Tablespoons ), Sugar (1.5 Tablespoons), Olive Oil (3 Tablespoons), Salt (1 teaspoon!), and Black Pepper (few shakes).
  • Put the lid on and blitz. (Note: If it doesn't grind easily, add-in more olive oil as you pulse).
  • Empty out the wet mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the wings in and thoroughly coat them. 
  • Place some plastic wrap around the mixing bowl. Place in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. (1-hour, even better).
  • In the meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180 C (356 F). 
  • Place wings on a rack and place it in the hot oven for 15 minutes. 
  • After 15 minutes, flip the wings. Then place back in the oven for 13 more minutes. 
  • Keep an eye out on the wings so they don't burn.
  • Plate and enjoy!!

Notes

  • See video below for more details

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Samgyetang – Ginseng Chicken Soup

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Samgyetang. It’s regarded in Korea as a soup with medicinal properties. That’s because we its made with wild roots/plants that are used in traditional herbal medicine. The most common herbal is ginseng. Ironically, I didn’t use it in this recipe. I mistakingly thought the Samgyetang herbal kits included it. But the soup came out incredibly delicious without it. Let me show you the basics of samgyetang.

Samgyetang

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The key taste variable are those medicinal herbs. If you have access to a Korean mart, ask the staff for Samgyetang jeh-ryo (삼계탕 재료). This translates to ingredients for Samgyetang. They will point you to these packets with wild medicinal herbs. Here’s a few more details about these herbs:

  • Ginseng: It’s the most common ingredient in Samgyetang. It’s rich in both taste and nutritional value. Many people love to eat this root – they save it for the end. (So don’t toss it out after using it for the broth)
  • Milk vetch root: It’s the dried root of Milk Vetch Tree (scientific name is Astragalus propinquus). It has been used for many centuries in traditional Korean medicine to correct ‘spleen deficiency’.
  • Acanthopanax: It’s the outer covering, or peel, of Siberian ginseng. It’s used in Korean herbal medicine to treat conditions such as rheumatic pain and arthritis in the limbs, and weakness or pain in the knees and lower back.
  • Oriental raisin tree: It’s used to treat fever, parasitic infection, as a laxative, and a treatment of liver diseases, as well as hangover treatment. (That’s right – there’s a whole hangover industry made from raisin tree!)
  • Korean angelica: We use the roots of this plant. It’s used in herbal medicine for its anti-androgenic properties.

After reading through those descriptions, you may feel like Samgyetang is a panacea (😅). But don’t expect to cure yourself with one bowl of Samgyetang. (Or else it wouldn’t sell for $9.99). Besides the purported “health benefits”, these medicinal herbs also infuse a unique taste to the chicken broth. At the very least, you will get a burst of endorphins!

Samgyetang
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Samgyetang - Korean Ginseng Soup

Korea's traditional herbal chicken soup. 
Course: Medium
Servings: 1 people

Ingredients

  • Young whole chicken - 500-600 grams
  • Samgyetang herbal kit - 1 package 80 grams
  • Spring onion - 1 stalk forearm sized
  • Ginseng - 1 stalk optional
  • Water - 4 cups

Stuffed Rice

  • Glutinous rice - 1/3 cup
  • Jujubes - 3
  • Korean chestnuts - 3-5 
  • Garlic - 3-5 cloves

Broth Seasoning 

  • Salt - few shakes
  • Black pepper - few shakes
  • Sesame seeds - few shakes

Spicy Chicken Dip (Optional)

  • Gochugaru - 1/4 cup 
  • Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
  • Vinegar - 1 Tablespoon
  • Soy Sauce - 2 Tablespoons
  • Sugar - 1 teaspoon
  • Wasabi - small dab 1/2 teaspoon
  • Samgyetang broth -  1/4 cup

Instructions

  • Take out a mixing bowl. Wash the glutinous rice and drain the water. Do this 3x. Then fill with cold water and set it aside for 1 hour.
  • Prep chicken: (1) Snip-off wing-tips. (2) Snip-off the tail (3) Snip-off any visible fat near the cavity of the bird (4) Use a spoon and scrap out any excess debris/blood/etc left in the inside of the bird (5) Thoroughly wash the chicken under running water - including the inside of the bird. (6) Use soap and hot water and wipe down kitchen sink. 
  • Open Samgyetang Herbal kit. Place all of the herbs into the broth pouch.
  • After 1 hour, drain the rice. Set aside to drip off excess water. 
  • Stuff the chicken: Place 2 garlic cloves, 2 chestnuts, 1 jujube & all of the rice into the chicken. Then cut a hole into the side of the chicken skin (reference video). Cross the chicken legs and fit the upper leg through the hole. 
  • Take out a large pot. Place stuffed chicken into the pot. Then place-in the broth bag and spring onion stalk. You can also throw-in extra cloves of garlic (2-3 max), chestnut and jujube (1-2 max) into the water. As well as a ginseng stalk if you have it. 
  • Bring the pot up to boil without a lid. Once it's boiling, let it hard boil (without the lid) for 10 minutes. Then place the lid on. Reduce heat to a medium-low or low - we're looking for a gentle boil. Then let it boil for 50 minutes with the lid on.
  • After 1 hour, turn off the heat. (Note: If the broth has reduced too much, simply add more water and let it reduce for another 10 minutes. No problem!)
  • Then plate the chicken. Now, the soup will taste bland. Before eating, place a small dab of the 'broth seasoning' onto your spoon and mix into the broth. Don't add too much, but season to taste!
  • Optional: Make the spicy seasoning and use it as an extra dipping sauce for the chicken.

Notes

  • If the broth reduces too quickly, add more water. Then, let it reduce for 10 more minutes. 
  • See video below for more details.

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Dakgalbi – Chuncheon Style Recipe!

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Finally – we present Dakgalbi! Dakgalbi is famous in Korea for being a nutritious and affordable meal. It is made by pan-frying chicken that has been marinated in a savory gochujang sauce, along with cabbage and sweet potatoes. Say bye-bye to boring chicken 👋

Dakgalbi

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Dakgalbi is the representative dish of Chuncheon (a small city in Korea). It was originally created by a restauranteur named Kim Yeong-Seok in the early 1960’s. The backstory is that he ran a pork restaurant in Chuncheon. One day, he ran out of pork. He rushed to a nearby store and bought two chickens as they didn’t have the pork cuts he needed. He split the chicken meat like pork ribs, grilled and served it in a gochujang-based sauce. The customers loved it and came back asking for more. Soon enough, the pork restaurant became famous in the region for their chicken.

They key taste variable in this recipe is the curry powder. It adds a cinnamon-y, smoky accent to the chicken and rounds out the spiciness of the dish.

A few of the ingredients like perilla leaves and rice cakes are hard to find outside of Korea. It’s fine to skip those. But make sure to include the cabbage and sweet potatoes. They work beautifully in this dish.

Ok guys, enjoy it and tag us in IG if you make it at home 🕺

Dakgalbi
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Dakgalbi - Chuncheon style

Pan-fried chicken that has been marinating in savory gochujang sauce. Plus cabbage and sweet potatoes!
Course: Easy
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

Fresh Ingredients

  • Chicken thigh skin on: 500 grams
  • Cabbage - 2 cups
  • Onion - 1 small or 1/2 medium-sized
  • Spring onion - 1 whole forearm-sized piece
  • Perilla leaves - 5 optional
  • Korean rice cake - 1 cup optional
  • Sweet potato - 1 whole size of your hand
  • Milk - 1 cup  

Dakgalbi Marinade

  • Soy Sauce - 3 Tablespoons
  • Gochujang - 3 Tablespoons
  • Gochugaru - 2 Tablespoons
  • Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
  • Honey - 2 Tablespoons
  • Mirim - 3 Tablespoons
  • Minced garlic -1 Tablespoon
  • Curry powder - 1.5 Tablespoons
  • Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
  • Black pepper - 3-4 shakes

Instructions

Prep Ingredients

  • Debone chicken. Then cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl and cover with milk. Let it sit in the milk for 10-15 minutes. 
  • Take out another mixing bowl. Place in all of the listed ingredients under "Dakgalbi Marinade". Mix thoroughly. 
  • Cut cabbage, sweet potato into bite-sized pieces. Cut onion, spring onions and perilla leaves into thin slices. Measure 1 cup of Korean rice cakes. (Note: If you are using frozen rice cakes, place in some warm water to soften them up first)
  • Now back to the chicken: Strain the chicken and wash-off the milk under running water. Let the chicken drip-off excess water. Then place the chicken pieces into the spicy dakgalbi marinade. Let it sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes. 

Cook Dakgalbi

  • Take out your largest non-stick frying pan. Put some oil into the frying pan. Place on a medium-low heat.
  • Once the pan is hot, place the chicken in. Throw-in the sweet potatoes in as well. Then stir the chicken around to prevent the marinade from burning.
  • Keep stirring until you see the chicken turn firm (~50% cooked through). Note: If you see that the marinade is bubbling and turning sticky - reduce the heat.
  • Once the chicken starts to firm up, throw in the onions and cabbage. The vegetables will wilt and release water into the pan. This will prevent the marinade from burning. Keep stirring.
  • Continue to cook until the cabbage turns soft and chicken is fully cooked through. Then turn off the heat. Garnish with the perilla leaves and spring onion slices. They will cook in the residual heat. 
  • Enjoy with a bowl of hot rice! 

Notes

  • Eat with a bowl of hot rice - too spicy to eat by itself
  • See video for more details

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3 Chicken Breast Banchans: Stir-fry, Muchim & Salad

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Chicken Breast Banchan. Koreans rarely use chicken breast in traditional Korean banchans. It’s usually pork, beef or seafood. But today, let’s go against tradition and get creative with chicken breast.  After all, it’s cheap and approachable to everybody. We will first boil them to get them juicy and tender. Then toss in a variety of Korean spices.

ChickenBreastBanchan2

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In this recipe, I wanted to flavor chicken breast in drastically different ways. You know, something different to teriyaki chicken and what you see in most Asian restaurants. So I was quite happy with the results. Each of these banchans tasted unique!

Here’s a quick summary:

The stir-fry was savory. The key ingredient was fish sauce, which added a layer of saltiness and umami. Our chopsticks kept coming back – for the next bite. (In fact, Katie finished the whole bowl during our shoot 😋)

The muchim was spicy. Well, I guess spicy is relative. It tasted slightly-less spicy than Korean Shin Ramen. Overall, the flavor of the muchim is bold. I think it works beautifully with a bowl of hot rice on the side.

The salad tasted light and springy. The first thing you will taste is a sweet tanginess from the honey and vinegar. Then a slight hint of wasabi from the hot mustard paste. A subtle balance between the flavors.

Which one are you craving? Try one and give us some feedback 😉

***
Note: These banchan recipes were inspired by… Naver blog: Kyss7700, Naver blog: A-la-la-la & E-kklim Store (이끌림)

Chicken Breast Banchan
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3 Chicken Breast Banchan Recipes

We will boil chicken breast. And toss it with Korean spices. 3 different styles!
Course: Easy
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

Chicken Breast Cabbage Stir-Fry

  • Chicken breast - 1 
  • Cabbage - 300 grams or about 3 fistfuls
  • Chili Peppers - 2 Use a red and green pepper
  • Green onion - 1 stalk fore-arm length

Stir-fry Sauce

  • Soy sauce - 1 Tablespoon
  • Fish sauce - 1 Tablespoon
  • Honey - 1 Tablespoon
  • Mirim - 1 Tablespoon
  • Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon

Shredded Chicken Muchim

  • Chicken breast - 2 
  • Spring onion or green onion - 1 stalk (forearm piece)
  • Oyster mushrooms - 2 bundles each the size of your palm

Seasoning Sauce

  • Korean red chili flakes Gochugaru - 2 Tablespoons
  • Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
  • Honey - 1 Tablespoon
  • Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoons
  • Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
  • Sesame seeds - 1 Tablespoon
  • Black pepper - few shakes

Korean Chicken & Chives Salad

  • Chicken breast - 1 or use 1 can
  • Asian chives - 12 stalks
  • Red bell pepper - 1/4 a whole
  • Cucumber - 1/2 a whole 
  • Onion - 1/2 a whole
  • Carrot - 3 inches or length of pointer finger

Hot Mustard-Honey Sauce

  • Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
  • Sugar - 2 Tablespoons
  • Honey - 3 Tablespoons
  • Soy Sauce - 1 Tablespoon
  • Vinegar - 3 Tablespoons
  • Hot Mustard - 1 Tablespoon
  • Lemon juice - 1 Tablespoon or use half a lemon

Instructions

Chicken Breast Cabbage Stir-Fry

  • Put chicken breast in a pot. Pour-in enough water to cover the chicken breast. Bring pot up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a medium-low. Let chicken breast gently simmer for 15 minutes. 
  • Roughly chop the cabbage and measure 3 fistfuls. Thinly slice green and red chili peppers. Finally, slice-up the green onions. 
  • Take out a small mixing bowl and mix-in all of the listed ingredients under 'Stir-fry Sauce'
  • After 15 minutes, take out the boiled chicken breast. Use two forks to shred them apart. 
  • Place oil into a frying pan. Place it on a medium-high heat. When it gets hot, place cabbage and chicken pieces in. Stir-fry until you see the cabbage pieces turn slightly translucent. Then add in the Stir-fry Sauce. Stir around for 30 seconds. Add in the chili peppers. Stir-around for 15-30 more seconds. 
  • Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve with a bowl of rice. Bon Appetit. 

Shredded Chicken Muchim

  • Put 2 chicken breasts in a pot. Pour-in enough water to cover the chicken breasts. Bring pot up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a medium-low. Let chicken breasts gently simmer for 15 minutes. 
  • Slice onion into very thin slices. (The thinner the better!) Then place the onion slices in a bowl of cold water. Soak in the water for 15 minutes to reduce the sharp flavor.
  • Cut stem off the oyster mushrooms. Use your hands and break each piece off each other. Then rinse under cold water. Bring a small pot of water up to boil. Season the water with few shakes of salt. Then boil the mushrooms for 15 seconds. Drain the mushrooms and cool-down under cold water. Then use your hands and squeeze the water out of the blanched mushrooms. Set aside. 
  • Finely dice the spring onion stalk.
  • After 15 minutes, take out the chicken breast pieces and shred with two forks. Note: If you see pink, place back in boiling water for 5 more minutes. 
  • Take out a large mixing bowl. Add-in the shredded chicken, oyster mushrooms and thinly sliced onions. Then add-in all of the listed ingredients under 'Seasoning Sauce'. Give a thorough mix.
  • Serve with a bowl of hot rice. Bon Appetit!

Korean Chicken & Chives Salad

  • Cut asian chives, bell peppers, cucumber, carrot and onion into small bite-size pieces. (Reference video)
  • Take out a large mixing bowl. Add in all of the chopped vegetables. Open a can of chicken breast. Empty out the oil. Then add in the shredded chicken breast. (Or boil and shred a chicken breast and add in)
  • Take out a smaller mixing bowl. Add in all of the listed ingredients under 'Hot Mustard - Honey Sauce'. Give a thorough mix. 
  • Toss the salad in the Sauce. Plate and enjoy. Eat with or without rice. Bon Appetit!

Notes

  • You can find "Hot Mustard Paste" at most Asian marts. It's called 연겨자 in Korean (yeon-gyo-ja). If you don't have an Asian mart nearby, you can make it at home with dry mustard powder. 
  • Make sure to soak the freshly cut onion slices in cold water before adding to the muchim recipe. 
  • Feel free to use chicken thighs if you like dark meat. Even more juicier!
  • See video below for more details

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Korean Fried Chicken – Kyochon Chicken

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Kyochon Chicken. When I visited Seoul for the first time in 2008, I was wide-eyed and ecstatic to try everything. I was curious to see if Los Angeles Korean food was anything like the home country. After all, I had left Korea when I was only four years old. Out of all the foods that I tasted, I remember being so impressed with Korea’s fried chicken.

Kyochon-Chicken

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There are alot of fried chicken shops throughout Seoul. Almost every neighborhood has one. However, Kyochon Chicken is the most popular fried chicken restaurant brand – voted #1 for 13 straight years. And I must admit, their chicken is truly finger-looking good! Much of it has to do with their extra crispy batter and an addictive sauce.

Today, you are in luck. I will teach you how to make this recipe at home. The taste is spot-on to Kyochon’s chicken. Try it out this weekend and thank me later!

Kyochon Chicken
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5 from 3 votes

Korean Fried Chicken - Kyochon Chicken

Chicken wings are fried extra crispy with starch powder and tossed in a honey soy sauce glaze. Can't beat Korean Fried Chicken!  
Course: Easy
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • Chicken wings - 20 pieces ~500 grams 
  • Milk - 500 ml 
  • Salt - 4-5 shakes
  • Pepper - 4-5 shakes
  • Starch powder - few shakes Use potato or corn starch powder

Honey Soy-Sauce Glaze

  • Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoons
  • Sugar - 1.5 Tablespoons
  • Mirin - 1.5 Tablespoons
  • Vinegar - 1 Tablespoon
  • Honey - 1 Tablespoon
  • Black pepper - few shakes
  • Oyster sauce - 1/2 Tablespoon optional
  • Dried red chili pepper - 1/2 pepper optional

Instructions

Prep Chicken

  • Give the chicken wings a wash - get rid of any debris on them.
  • Take out a large mixing bowl and place the cleaned chicken wings in. Then pour in the milk. Let it sit in the milk for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, drain-off the milk and let the chicken pieces sit in the strainer to drip-off excess milk. (Note: Do not wash off the milk off)
  • Next, place the chicken wings in a large plastic (ziploc) bag. Season them with salt and pepper. Seal the bag and give it a nice shake. Then add in the starch powder and give another mix. 

Make Sauce

  • Place in all of the listed ingredients into a bowl. And give a thorough mix. 

Fry chicken

  • Put frying pan on a medium-high heat. Place enough oil to create a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. Once it gets hot, place the wings in. Remember to tap-off the extra starch powder from the wings before placing them into the oil. 
  • Fry on both-sides until they get nice and crispy. Make sure to flip them and move them around so that they don't burn. You can also reduce the heat to a low if you see the the oil is splashing around too much. 
  • Once they wings get golden-crispy, turn off the heat and put them onto a plate. 

Make Glaze and Coat

  • Remove oil and give frying pan a quick wipe-down.
  • Then put frying pan on a medium-low heat. Once it is hot, place the sauce in. 
  • Mix the sauce around with a spatula until it thickens up. Should take around 2-3 minutes. 
  • Then toss in the fried chicken and mix until each piece is well coated. 
  • Serve on a plate. Enjoy!

Notes

  • If you want to use drumsticks (or other larger chicken pieces), I would recommend deep-frying in a pot.
  • See video below for more details

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Korean Chicken Skewers and Yuja Salad

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Korean Chicken Skewers. If you have visited Seoul in the last five years, you will be quite familiar with this street food. It’s called Dakkochi. And its become one of the most popular street food in Korea.

Korean-Chicken-Skewers

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Most street vendor have come up with their own sauces. Some add curry powder. Some add ‘hell-sauce’ (basically soy-sauce mixture with an ungodly amount of gochujang!). And I have even seen a few adding a layer of melted mozzarella cheese. Today, I wanted to share the original flavors that started the trend: original teriyaki and spicy gochujang. With these sauce recipes, you will taste the streets of Seoul!

Initially, I planned to only cover the chicken skewer recipe in the video. But lately, I have been jumping deeper into the world of Asian salads. The Yuja-salad is hands-down one of my recent favorites! It’s amazing how well the flavor of Yuja-tea (Honey Citron Tea) pairs with olive oil. The sauce is light, citrus-y and uplifting. Makes you feel elegant 🙂

There were a few questions about the flavor and quality of Korean instant cooked rice. This microwaveable rice is very famous in Korea. It is a short-grain “sushi” rice.  And it can be found in virtually every house in Korea. Normally, the term ‘instant’ triggers thoughts of preservatives and exotic ingredients. But this is not the case with this item. Korean instant rice is fresh rice that is partially cooked by the manufacturer and immediately vacuumed into a sealed package. All you have to do is peel back the lid (partially) and pop it in the microwave.

It’s a life-saver when you want to eat banchan but don’t have the patience for rice to steam in a cooker.

Korean Chicken Skewers and Yuja Salad
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Korean Chicken Skewers and Yuja Salad

Ingredients

Chicken Skewers

  • Chicken - 500 grams
  • Spring onions - 2 stalks

Chicken Seasoning

  • Mirin - 2 Tablespoons
  • Salt - 3-4 shakes
  • Black pepper - 2-3 shakes

Teriyaki Sauce

  • Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoons
  • Mirin - 1 Tablespoon
  • Honey - 2 Tablespoons
  • Minced garlic - 1/2 Tablespoon
  • Black pepper - few shakes

Gochujang-Teriyaki Sauce

  • Teriyaki sauce (From above)
  • Gochujang - 2 Tablespoons

Yuja Salad

  • Baby greens - handful

Yuja Salad Dressing

  • Korean Yuja tea - 3 Tablespoons
  • Olive oil - 3 Tablespoons
  • Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
  • Salt - few shakes
  • Black pepper - few shakes

Instructions

Prep Chicken

  • Debone the chicken pieces and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Place in a mixing bowl. Then season with mirin, salt and black pepper. Give a mix with your hands. Then set the chicken aside for 20 minutes. Also soak your skewers in another bowl.

Make Sauces

  • Take out a mixing bowl and place all ingredients listed under "Teriyaki Sauce". Give it a nice mix. If you want to make the spicy Gochujang sauce, use the same recipe as the Teriyaki Sauce, but add-in gochujang as well.

Grill chicken and Make Skewers

  • Measure to the second crease in your pointer finger. Chop spring onion pieces to that length. Make sure to chop-up both the green and white parts of the spring onion. Then put a frying pan on a medium-heat. Put some oil in the pan. Once it is hot, place the chicken pieces in and cook them until they are 80-90% done (when you barely see any pink left). Then set the chicken aside.
  • Take out the skewers from the water. Add the grilled chicken first onto the skewers. Then add spring onion pieces and alternate. I like to add 4 pieces of chicken to 3 pieces of spring onion. Finally, wrap the end pieces of the skewer with a piece of aluminum foil.

Cook Skewers

  • Put frying pan on medium heat. Add oil. Once the pant is hot, place the skewers in. Let it sit there for a minute or two until it develops a nice char and the chicken is fully cooked through. Then flip them over and baste the chicken skewers with the sauce of your choice. Flip around and baste the other side. Turn off heat. Garnish with sesame seeds. Take off the aluminum foil and enjoy.

Yuja Salad

  • Place some baby greens in a mixing bowl. Take out another bowl and mix all of the listed ingredients under "Yuja salad dressing". Top the salad with a few spoonfuls of the Yuja dressing. Enjoy and feel elegant!

Notes

  • Watch video below for more details

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Chicken Steak – Dinner For One

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Chicken Steak is a delicious way to eat chicken. No bones. No fuss. And damn delicious! I learned this style when I was living in Tokyo, at a dining bar named ROA – you can see the bar in this vlog video.

Chicken Steak

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Chef Toshi would debone a chicken thigh, butterfly the thicker parts and pan-fry it to a golden crisp with some butter. Then he would drizzle a house mustard sauce over the top. Sounds like a opening to a Netflix cooking show no?

Thus, I’ve been craving this dish lately. So last week, I visited the mart near my house but surprisingly, they did not carry any bone-in chicken thigh. They sold whole chicken, drumsticks and wings. But no thighs! I tried a different mart and they too didn’t have it. After looking online, I learned that chicken thighs are not typically sold in grocery stores in Korea. Bummer.

But no worries. I improvised and found a work-around with drumsticks. It tastes just as great. However, if you do can find bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – go with that. Much more meat!

Chicken Steak
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Chicken Steak Dinner

Here is how you can turn a chicken drumstick into a steak! Delicious, simple and pairs well with lots of grilled vegetables. 
Course: Easy
Servings: 1 person

Ingredients

  • Chicken drumsticks - 4 or use 2 chicken thighs
  • Salt - few shakes
  • Black pepper - few shakes
  • Butter - 1 tablespoon

Grilled Veggies

  • Bok choy - 2
  • Onion - 1
  • Potato - 1/2 a whole
  • Garlic - 4 cloves

Steak Sauce

  • Butter - 1 Tablespoon
  • Soy sauce - 1 Tablespoon
  • Water - 3 Tablespoon
  • Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
  • Vinegar - 1/2 Tablespoon
  • Minced garlic - 1/2 Tablespoon

Instructions

Prep Chicken

  • Make sure chicken drumsticks (or thighs) are at room temperature. Then use kitchen scissors to cut around the 'ankles' of the drum sticks. Then cut up the middle of the drumstick. Find the bone, cut around it and remove it. Take your time as it may be tricky on your first try!
  • Then salt and pepper both sides of the chicken filet.

Prep Veggies

  • Cut onions into 3 thick sections. Cut potatoes into thin sections (not too thick - or they will not cook through). Cut garlic cloves into three pieces. And finally cut the bok choy in half.

Start Grilling

  • Put frying pan on a medium-high heat. Make sure it gets hot. Then place the chicken pieces in - skin-side down. Then place the onion, potato and garlic pieces in as well. Give it a few minutes to cook until the chicken gets a nice crispy golden skin. Then flip over the chicken.
  • Place in the butter and put a lid over the frying pan. Then swirl the frying pan around so the butter gets distributed evenly. After about 1 minute, lift the lid. Flip over the vegetables. Add-in the bok choy. Then turn off the heat. Take out each piece onto a serving plate.

Make Sauce

  • Don't wash the frying pan - the leftover oils from the chicken adds to the sauce. Put the frying pan on a medium heat. Add in all of the listed ingredients under sauce. When the bubbles get big, the sauce is ready. Serve over the chicken and enjoy!

Notes

  • When deboning the drumsticks, you may see some white tendons poke out. Don't worry about this - it's normal. That's what holds the meat together in place.
  • To get a nice crispy skin, don't put any oil into the frying pan when you first put the chicken in
  • Later, make sure to put some butter in the pan - gives more richness and glossy finish to the chicken.
  • You can use any sauce recipe. In this video, we tried out Chef Baek Jong Won's steak sauce.
  • For more details, watch the video below.

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Kimchi at home – Your First Batch

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Kimchi is the quintessential Korean dish. There are many different types of Kimchi, but the most famous one is Napa Cabbage Kimchi.

Korean Kimchi

You will find this healthy dish in virtually every refrigerator in Korea. It is so important to the culture of Korea that there is even a “Kimchi Index” in Korea. It helps Koreans track the change in price of the main ingredients used in Kimchi – Napa cabbage, chili, radish and anchovies. When the price volatility is high, it makes national headlines.

It seems with the ever-busy lifestyle of Korea, the art of making Kimchi is being lost. It is rare to see families (let alone, single dwellers) to make it at home. Traditionally, a family would schedule a weekend in winter to make a large batch of Kimchi for the year, often using up to 10 Napa cabbages at a time! It is a labor of love.

Today, we show you a simple recipe that you can make at home – using only one head of Napa cabbage. This way, you can sample the flavors, gauge spice level and reduce prep time. Also, it’s okay if you mess up with one cabbage. Big deal – just buy another one! However, if you mess up with a batch of 10 cabbages, chances are you will never try making Kimchi again! Our recipe is simple and has the right balance of Korean flavors

Key taste variable: Time
The taste of the Kimchi will change slightly as you leave it longer in the refrigerator. This is normal and you should try it at its different stages.  Try tasting it fresh – right after you finish coating it with the Kimchi paste. Then sample it after 1 day of sitting out (and fermenting). Then try it cold, after it has had time to chill in the refrigerator. You will notice the flavor get deeper and more concentrated. I think it taste best when it has had some time to sit in the refrigerator for a few days.

Korean Kimchi
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5 from 1 vote

Kimchi - A simple recipe for your first time

Kimchi is spicy, fermented cabbage. A quintessential dish to Korean cuisine. We eat it with just about everything.
Course: Hard
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • Napa cabbage - 1 head
  • Kosher salt or Sea Salt - 1.5 cups Don't use regular dining salt - the salt crystals should be large
  • Korean radish - 2 inch piece
  • Asian Chives - 20 stalks

Kimchi Paste

  • Dashima Kombu - iPhone size piece of
  • Shiitake mushrooms - 4
  • Glutinous rice powder - 2 Tablespoon ok to use all-purpose flour as well
  • Gochugaru Korean red chili flakes - 1 cup
  • Minced garlic - 2 Tablespoon
  • Minced ginger - 1 Tablespoon
  • Anchovy sauce - 1/4 cup
  • Honey - 2 Tablespoon
  • Sugar - 1/2 Tablespoon
  • Kosher Salt - 1 Tablespoon

Instructions

Brine Cabbage

  • Cut the Napa cabbage into 4 pieces. Wash thoroughly and get off any dirt - especially near the stems.
  • Fill a large plastic bowl with 6 cups of water. Then add-in 1/2 cup* of kosher salt.
    [*NOTE: In the video, we state to add 1 cup of kosher salt. That's because we purposely didn't stir the water until the salt pieces completely dissolved. Some of our viewers have stirred the water until all of the salt crystals disintegrate - which makes the water too salty! To avoid confusion, we recommend using only 1/2 cup of kosher salt.]
    After adding the 1/2 cup, give the water a few stirs with your hands. (Again, no need to completely dissolve the salt into the water.) Then quickly dip each cabbage piece into the water - just so its wet, don't leave it sitting in the water. Afterwards, set it on a strainer and let it drip-off excess water for a few minutes.
  • Then pour-out 1 cup** of kosher salt - we'll use roughly this amount for the entire 4 cabbage pieces. Now, grab some salt with your fingers and toss it onto each layer of the cabbage - just a few sprinkles for each layer. (Imagine sprinkling salt on an egg - thats the amount you want to put on each layer.) Focus the salt onto the white stems of the cabbage.
    [**NOTE: You do NOT need to sprinkle on the whole 1 cup of salt - okay to use like 3/4 cup and have some leftover (as cabbage sizes are not always the same). Don't over-salt in this stage or your Kimchi will taste too salty]
    Then cover it with a lid (to prevent bugs from getting in) and let it sit in room-temperature for at least 6 hours (or overnight).

Check Cabbage

  • Next day, bend the cabbage stem and check that it doesn't snap. If it does snap, let it sit for longer in the salty water.
  • Drain the cabbage from the brine and wash each layer thoroughly under a running faucet. After one round of washing, wash again! This second wash will help reduce the overall salty flavor from the leaves.
    [IMPORTANT: At this point, taste the cabbage leaf - it should taste slightly-salty, but not overly salty.]
    Wash it again for a third time - if it tastes too salty. 
  • Set the washed cabbage pieces on a strainer and get rid of excess water.

Prep Veggies

  • Peel Korean radish. Then cut each section into thin circles. Then cut each circle into thin match sticks.
  • Cut asian chives into 2 inch sections.

Make Paste

  • Take out a pot and fill with 2 cups of water. Place in 4 Shiitake mushrooms and dashima pieces. Put it on a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes to extract broth. Strain the broth and let it fully cool down. (Note: It is important to let the stock broth cool down completely)
  • When the broth is cooled down, place in the glutinous rice powder (or flour) and mix into the stock. Mix thoroughly to get rid of all clumps. (Note: Don't turn on the heat until you have fully mixed the powder into the stock). Then place the pot onto a medium heat. Keep stirring until the paste thickens up and gets a gravvy-like consistency.
  • Get a large plastic bowl. Put in Gochugaru, minced garlic, minced ginger, anchovy sauce, honey, salt and sugar. Then put-in the paste as well. Give all of the ingredients a good mix.
  • Then put-in the Korean radish and garlic chive pieces as well. Mix veggies in and coat them in the thick paste.

Layering Kimchi

  • Place Kimchi paste on each layer of the cabbage leaf (reference video). Repeat for all 4 cabbage pieces.
  • Place the finished Kimchi pieces into a large Tupperware or large mason jar.
  • Place plastic wrap over the container and poke some holes into it. Let it sit out in room temperature for one day.
  • The next day, you will see bubbles in the kimchi liquid (from the fermentation). Now place the fermenting kimchi in the refrigerator. Let it chill in the refrigerator for a few hours
  • Once the kimchi is cold, chop the cabbage into sections and serve! Enjoy! 

Notes

  • Make sure to cool down the stock soup before placing in the glutinous rice powder. Fully stir in the powder until you see no lumps - then turn on the heat.
  • With each week, the Kimchi will taste more sour as it ferments longer. Kimchi is edible for many months. "Aged" Kimchi is popular in Kimchi Jjigae or Kimchi panackes.
  • If you have any specific questions, leave us a comment.
  • Watch video below for more details.

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Jjimdak – Soy sauce braised chicken

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Jjimdak is one of the most popular chicken dishes in Korea.

JJimdak
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I would say it ranks as the second most popular chicken dish in Korea, after Korean-style fried chicken. The dish originates from a Korean city called Andong, but is now ubiquitous in Korea. Walk around Seoul and you will see many speciality stores serving Jjimdak.

The dish is salty and slightly sweet from the flavored soy sauce so you should eat it with a bowl of hot rice. The two pair well together and create a very satisfying meal. If you have some kimchi sitting in the refrigerator, bring that out as well and it will help refresh you palate after each bite.

Key taste variable: Sugar
Since we are using a lot of soy sauce, we need to balance out the salty flavor. Use three tablespoons of sugar to give the sauce an undertone of sweetness. (Also, if you like garlic, you can add this flavor to the soy-sauce. I didn’t include in the video but feel free to add in the last step when you add the noodles in)

JJimdak
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Jjimdak - Soy Sauce Braised Chicken

Jjimdak is chicken boiled in a sweetened soy sauce, along with vegetables and noodles. One of Korea's favorite chicken dishes!
Course: Medium
Servings: 2 person

Ingredients

  • Chicken - 1 Whole 600-800 grams, or use only drumsticks, thighs only
  • Dangmyeon noodles Korean sweet potato noodles - 400 grams
  • Carrot - 1/3 whole
  • Onion - 1/4 whole
  • Potato - 1-2
  • Spring onion - 1 stalk

Braising Sauce

  • Water - 2.5 cups
  • Soy sauce - 3/4 cup
  • Ground coffee - 1 Tablespoon
  • Sugar - 3 Tablespoons
  • Corn syrup or honey - 1/3 cup
  • Minced garlic - 2 Tablespoons optional

Instructions

Prep Ingredients

  • Soak sweet potato noodles into water. Soak chicken into water. Let both sit in the water for 45 minutes.
  • In the meanwhile, roughly cut potatoes, onions, spring onions and carrots.
  • Soak potatoes in water as well to get rid of excess starch.
  • After 45 minutes, strain noodles, chicken and potatoes. Set aside.

Boil Chicken

  • Put chicken into a large pot. Then place water, soy sauce and ground coffee into the pot. Bring pot to a roaring boil.
  • Skim the surface with a ladle and get rid of residual oil and scum.
  • Add sugar and corn syrup into broth. Then place in the potatoes, carrots and onions.
  • Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. (Don't lift the lid).

Finish Cooking

  • After 10 minutes, add noodles and spring onions (Optional: Also add in minced garlic for more flavor).
  • Close the lid and cook for an additional three minutes. Eat with rice.

Notes

  • We will use (black) ground coffee to give the sauce a dark tint. It makes the dish much more appetizing.
  • Put a lid on while you cook - this will ensure that the potatoes and carrots are fully cooked.
  • See video below for more details

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