CRAZY FOR KOREAN

When I was at school, Henry J Beans was The Place To Be, thanks entirely to their chicken wings. I never really understood it - even as a fatty lover wings always seemed a miserable combination of grease and mess. They're bleeding fiddly buggers resulting in ruined clothes every time! I just couldn't get on board with the wing-fanaticism, that is until I discovered Korean food in Japan - where else?! The chicken was so delicious, so sweet, so crispy and with a wonderful whallop from the chili. The flavours ran all the way through, from the crisp exterior to the melting juiciness of the meat itself. Suddenly chicken wings made a LOT of sense, and I'm not ashamed to say with all of Tokyo's culinary delights (I still salivate at the memory) I became a frequent visitor to that Korean restaurant. Since then I've been on a quest to find a London Korean that's as delicious. My father has taken me on endless trips round the delights of New Malden's 'Korea Town', but while the supermarkets are incredible (well worth a trip) and many of the restaurants delicious, I still couldn't find the chicken winged heaven I was searching for.

Then by accident I came across Holborn's 'Asadal'. Tucked away next to the station, I was convinced I'd discovered a secret taste haven - so unbelievably delicious, but sadly with a price tag to match. Also, it's the largest Korean restaurant in London and full all the time, so a rubbish secret. Finally, my craving taste buds were placated and the restaurant became a small obsession of mine. The thing is I simply can't afford to eat there as often as I'd like, and I need my fix of that chicken! So after a lot of desperate research I can share this recipe with you. Joy to the world! Chicken wings are cheap!

Korean Fried Chicken!

Korean Fried Chicken Recipe

How to...
Marinade
Traditionally there is no marinade - they season the chicken with salt and pepper and that's it. My way makes for a tasty interior AND exterior, hurrah.

Ingredients
6 chicken wings
4 tbsps soy sauce
1 onion chopped
1 inch ginger chopped
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
2 tbsps honey
a handful of chopped coriander
pinch of salt and a grind or two of pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and cover the chicken in it. You can marinade it for an hour or leave it over night.

Batter it!
The Korean's secret to perfect delicious chicken is that it's twice fried. MMmmmm delicious, BUT also less than healthful so I'm gonna suggest that you fry it once and finish it off under the grill. This also means that the sauce reduces more and becomes extra sitcky on the wings.

Ingredients
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp corn flour
2 tbsp rice flour
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the batter ingredients. Drain any excess marinade and then cover the chicken in the dry mixture. The marinade will help the flour mix to stick to the chicken.

Fry it!
Ingredients
2 tbsps vegetable oil

In a frying pan heat the oil over a high heat until it is smoking, and then turn it down to a medium heat.

Place the battered chicken in in batches of three, cooking for about 3 minutes on each side or until the flour is becoming crispy and golden

Sauce it!
Put the oven on the fan/grill setting at 220°C.
 
Confession time. In the picture I've not used what I should and would normally use, gojujang (Korean chili paste.) Please forgive me. I didn't have any, and the chili flakes worked fine. I still recommend the gojujang, it has a much deeper and more intense flavour than chili flakes, which just give off a bit of heat.


Ingredients
2 tbsps soy sauce
3 tbsps honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
2 cloves of finely minced garlic
5 tbsps tomato ketchup
1 tbsp gojujang

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl before gently reducing them over a medium heat in a frying pan for 2 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the fried chicken and roughly cover all the pieces. Place all the chicken onto a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 10 minutes.

HEAVEN!

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

I'm obsessed by my local butchers shop, McKanna Meats. It's the real thing - all kinds of animals hanging from the ceiling, lines outside every morning and it's a genuine thrill just going in there. In fact I've walked most of my friends up the road to visit. It's not just the atmosphere and the fact that everyone working there is so friendly: the meat is reliably amazing, good value and they really know what they're talking about. 

One of my favourite things amongst the goodies are their chorizo sausages. I've not found any like these anywhere, apart from Brindisa who sell a pack of five 'dulce chorizo' online for £18.95!!! McKanna's are equally sweet, not stuffed with peppers like the supermarket variety and not particularly spicy. Personally, I don't love the food I buy to come spiced, I'd rather create the 'heat' level myself, so aside from anything else, these are a flexible choice.

I'm always looking for an excuse to buy these delicious sausages and when one of the butchers told me about a dish he'd recently made with the chorizo, black pudding and pancetta (which I also find unbelievably exciting - it comes in a block!!) I was determined to give it a go myself. It has evolved a bit since the first time I made it, simply because it's easier to serve it this way.

This is a rich and meaty dish. I'd serve it with a rocket salad with olives and sundried tomatoes, or some new potatoes with a simple nob of butter. Or both!

Ravaged Chicken

Ingredients
1 chicken, de-boned. If you're scared about boning it yourself, ask your butcher to.
4 chorizo sausages, cut into 1 inch chunks
100g Spanish black pudding, crumbled into large-ish chunks
100g Pancetta, chopped into 1 inch chunks
2 shallots, sliced
A nob of butter
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of mixed wild mushrooms
A handful of sage
A sprig of rosemary
Zest of half a lemon
A glug of olive oil
Salt and black pepper to season
2 skewers

Oven On
Preheat your oven to 170°C on the fan setting.


Prepare the Stuffing
For the stuffing, fry the pancetta in a very lightly oiled pan on a high heat. It's very fatty, so the oil is just there to help render down the fat. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside. With the fat left in the pan, fry the sage until it's crispy but not discoloured and add this to the bowl. Continuing in the same way, fry the chorizo and then the black pudding.
Clean the pan and sweat the shallots with some of the butter on a low heat. Add this to the bowl.
Add the rest of the butter to the pan with the mushrooms, sprig of rosemary and the garlic. Once the mushrooms have changed colour and absorbed the butter, add it all to the bowl.


Assemble
Now, lay the de-boned chicken skin-side down on a clean chopping board and cover with stuffing, spooning it on until about two thirds is covered. Start rolling it, starting from the stuffed end, as tightly as you can and secure with two skewers.
Place the stuffed bird on a roasting tin and pour over the olive oil, lemon zest and season with salt and plenty of pepper. Cook at 170°C fan for an hour and slice it at the table.
 

THE FIRST RECIPE


So, I've just returned from Malaysia. The food I ate there was truly spectacular, and eating was mandatory and almost constant. Between 3.30 and 6pm was a very difficult time for us as many of the hawker stalls closed for a break. Still. Once we'd discovered our local satay vendor, we could be relied on to promptly order our ten satay skewers (chicken and beef) every day at 6pm sur le dot.

Light, fragrant, moreish and tender these were more easily inhaled than consumed and it was often something of a race to get through as many as possible as quickly as possible so that anyone else might not steal yours.

Since I've returned, 'Penang Heritage' cookery book in hand, I have made these no less than three times - perfect snack, good for the BBQ or a delicious starter - whatever you want it to be, find an excuse to make them!!

 

Chicken Satay

Ingredients/Tools


6 chicken thighs - bone out, skin off
12 bamboo skewers - soak in warm water until you need them (helps prevent burning...)

Marinade


1 clove of garlic
2 stalks of lemongrass
3 cm galangal (straight up ginger will do)
3 tbsp coconut milk
3 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup of water
5 tbsp coconut milk
200g peanuts
4 shallots - finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
1 small red chili - finely chopped
a pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp tamarind paste or 1/2 a lime
salt, to taste



Marinading

So, once you've deboned and skinned your chicken thighs, dice them into about 6 pieces each - trying to keep them equal. Put your chicken chunks in a bowl and refrigerate them whilst you make your marinade.

Peel, smash and finely chop garlic. Discard roots of the lemongrass - leaving about 7 cm of the root ends. Get rid of the fibrous skin and slice finely. Skin the galangal/ginger and chop finely.

Whizz garlic, lemongrass, and ginger in a food processor or grind in a pestle and mortar. Add all the dry ingredients - coriander, turmeric, sugar and salt.. Crush/whizz a bit more and then finally add the coconut milk and soy sauce. Marinate for at least an hour.



Sauce

Meanwhile make the sauce. Fry the peanuts in the vegetable oil until golden brown, whizz in (cleaned!) food processor until smooth-ish.. I like a bit of crunch.

Fry the shallots until soft before adding the garlic, chili and the shrimp paste. Cook out for about 30 seconds. Add the cayenne pepper, sugar and the water. Boil down. Add the tamarind/lime and soy and coconut milk.

Add the peanuts, simmer for 5 minutes or until it is the consistency you want and season to taste.



Grilling

Thread your marinated chicken - three chunks per skewer. You can grill these either on top of the hob for 4 to 5 mins on each side, in the oven under the grill for 5 to 6 mins each side or on the BBQ, 5 to 6 minutes each side.


Serve

Serve with traditional Malay garnish of cucumber and raw onion slices.