Friday, November 7, 2014

dakgangjeong (닭강정) | sweet crispy chicken

I love Korean food. But because the LAM is not a big fan, we rarely have Korean food in restaurants.

So I figured the only way I can eat Korean food is to learn to cook it! Initially it was a bit daunting because I was not familiar with the methods of cooking and the sauces used. But I very quickly realized that cooking Korean food is not difficult at all.

Today I wanted to try something new. I had a few pieces of boneless chicken thighs that needed using, so I figured it was a good time to try making this sweet and crispy chicken dish.
Because it was the first time I made this, I followed the instructions in the recipe. I always do that. Once I have made something once, I will know how I can change it so that it is easier to cook or to change it to suit our taste buds. In this case, I will make it more spicy by adding more gochujang since I like spicy.
Start by removing the skin of the chicken thighs and cutting them into bite-size pieces. Soak the chicken in milk for about 2 hours in the fridge.
Drain the chicken and add minced garlic and ginger, salt and pepper. Stir to mix and set it aside for 20-30 minutes.
Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly, then lower the heat to simmer it for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Coat the chicken evenly with corn starch.
Deep fry (or air-fry, or bake) the chicken until golden brown. Drain on kitchen towels.
Warm the sauce and pour over the chicken.
Stir to coat chicken evenly.
Garnish with chopped peanuts (I was so excited I forgot). Serve the chicken immediately.
See if you can stop eating them!! :D

RECIPE
Dakgangjeong (닭강정) | Sweet Crispy Chicken (Serves 2-4)
Adapted from koreanbapsang

Ingredients:
For the chicken:
1 pound (450g) boneless, skinless chicken thigh and/or breast
1/2 cup milk (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine (if not using milk) - I used milk
1/3 cup potato starch or corn starch - I used corn starch
oil for deep frying

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce
3 tablespoons (45ml) rice wine or mirin - I used mirin
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar - I used cider vinegar
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste)
3 tablespoons (45ml) honey or corn or rice syrup - I used honey
2 teaspoons (10ml) sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
pinch pepper

Method:
1. Remove the skin of the chicken thighs and cut them into bite-size pieces. Soak the chicken in milk for about 2 hours in the fridge.
2. Drain the chicken and add minced garlic and ginger, salt and pepper. Stir to mix and set it aside for 20-30 minutes.
3. Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly, then lower the heat to simmer it for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Coat the chicken evenly with corn starch. Dry fry (or air-fry, or bake) the chicken until golden brown. Drain on kitchen towels.
5. Warm the sauce and pour over the chicken. Stir to coat chicken evenly.
6. Garnish with chopped peanuts. Serve the chicken immediately.

I went to Ikea the other day to get a bed for my little girl and Christmas decorations are already being sold! Yes! It is THAT TIME OF THE YEAR to eat, drink and be merry! Are you getting excited? :)

Are you planning to cook anything special for this Christmas???  Or maybe start baking batches of delicious Christmas goodies? For Christmas 2014, Yen from Eat your heart out, Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and yours truly, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and  are cooking and celebrating for the whole month of December 2014 starting on 1st December. Join us and remember to link your post with us if you are cooking something special for your Christmas celebration.


5 comments:

  1. looks delicious! can i omit the chili paste so my toodler could eat it? thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure you can, but you may also want to adjust the sugar content otherwise this will be very sweet.

      Delete
  2. Yummy yummy. (⌒_⌒)

    ReplyDelete