Spicy Korean Chicken Stew

Recipes are found in cookbooks, which are one of the most popular

selling genres, on the internet, plus we all have family recipes; but, when I am looking for something different to make, I refer to the cooking classes John and I have taken in a variety of countries.  I like the fact that we completed the recipe, know it is correct, plus we have taste-tested it, and that it is ethnically authentic because the class was taught by a local chef. An added benefit is that we get to relive our trip while making the recipe at home.  

When my husband, John, and I were in Seoul, Korea, in March 2013 we took a cooking class at O’ngo Food Communications. We made several dishes including Spicy Chicken Stew. The teacher/chef, Hyejin Kim, said it is the recipe that most people want to learn how to make. 

Chicken is very versatile and relatively inexpensive so I thought the

spicy stew would be the perfect dish to make during the winter. I had not tried to make at home. There was another couple in our cooking class which made the class more enjoyable. When the class was finished we dined together on the recipes we made.  The chef joined us and we discussed Korean table etiquette.

Politeness and respect of elders is very important to Koreans. Chef Kim said that while manners have relaxed in Korea just as they have elsewhere many families try to retain the old ways. Korean meals consist of several dishes placed on the table family-style to be shared by everyone. The oldest person sits down first then everyone else may sit. Eating begins when the oldest person picks up their chopsticks. Guests should try to eat at the same pace as the oldest person. When offered an alcoholic drink it is considered impolite to refuse, especially if offered by an elder. If you do not want more to drink do not empty your glass/cup. When offered more food, and you would like more, decline twice and then accept the third time it is offered. Leave a little food on your plate at the end of the meal indicating that the host has provided enough food. There is no point in saving room for dessert because dessert is not commonly served after a meal. Koreans eat quietly saving discussion for after dinner.

Spicy Korean Chicken Stew (Dak Dori Tang)

1 ½-2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (drumsticks, breasts,                      and/or wings)
2-3 onions, cut in quarters
4-6 potatoes, peeled and cut to wedges
1 large carrot, peeled and cut to about 1-inch pieces
2 scallions, cut in 1-inch long pieces
1-2 tbsp oil (enough to cover the bottom of the cooking pot)

Sauce
1 tbsp chili sauce
½ tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili powder
½ tbsp rice wine
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
½ tbsp sugar
¼ tsp black pepper 
1 tsp sesame seed, crushed
1-2 cups of water

Cut all vegetables, set aside. Mix all the sauce ingredients (not the water), set aside. Put oil in cooking pot (can use a crockpot) on medium heat for three to four minutes. Add vegetables and chicken slowly being careful that the oil doesn’t spatter. Sear for four to five minutes stirring occasionally. Add sauce mixture and water.  Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium. Cook about one-and-half to two hours, or until all ingredients are cooked, and the sauce has thickened.  Serve with rice. 

Making Mushroom Japchae in Seoul, Korea

John and I were in Seoul, Korea in March 2013 where we took a cooking class at O’ngo Food

Communications, www.ongofood.com.  One of the recipes we learned to make was Mushroom Japchae, a popular Korean dish that is often served at birthdays.  Literally translated ‘japchae’ means ‘stir fried vegetables.’ Japchae has been popular since the 1600s when one the king’s subjects created the dish for a special occasion.  The dish so pleased the king that the man was elevated to Secretary of the Treasury. Typically it is usually served as a side dish but it can also be used as a main dish. In Korea a meal consists of several dishes that are placed on the table and people help themselves using their chopsticks to serve themselves. 

John and I have learned but not mastered the use of chopsticks. Most places will supply westerners with silverware. In Korea a spoon accompanies the chopsticks and is used for wet items and for rice.  Unlike other Asian countries lifting a bowl of rice to the mouth and using the chopstick to push the rice into one’s mouth is not the usual practice in Korea. Use the spoon. 

Chopsticks are placed to the right of the plate pointed away from the table edge. When not in use the chopsticks should be placed on the rest that is provide thus avoiding dirtying the table or rolling off the table. Putting chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice is impolite as it looks similar to incense sticks thus reminding people of a funeral dinner when it represents the spirits of the dead eating the food.  When the incense burns down then the spirits are full.

I love the saying I read years ago but cannot attribute it an author.  One-third of the world eats with chopsticks, one-third with their fingers, and one-third with silverware – and everyone is doing it correctly.

Mushroom Japchae

Sauce

1 ½ (one and one half) tbsp soy sauce

½ (one half) tbsp sugar

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 tsp finely chopped scallion

1 tsp sesame oil

½ (one half) tsp sesame seed

½ (one half) tsp crushed ginger

1 shitake mushroom, Julianne

2 dried wood ear mushrooms, soak in hot water for 5 minutes

1 oz glass noodles

1 medium onion, Julianne

1 medium carrot, Julianne

1 oz small leaf spinach (can use arugula), Julianne

Mix the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, scallions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and ginger to make the sauce.  Marinate shitake mushroom in 1 tsp of sauce for 10 minutes.  Boil glass noodles for six minutes then rinse with cold water then set aside. Sauté onions and carrots until tender – about two minutes. Remove from pan then in same pan sauté shitake and wood ear mushrooms. In pan add cooked noodles, sauce, spinach and all the rest of the ingredients. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes. Other mushrooms can be used plus zucchini and asparagus can be added.