In South Korea there are thousands and thousands of restaurants selling only fried chicken, and beer.
That’s it, that’s the concept.
At one point during my stay in Seoul, a course mate voiced her concern about my almost daily consumption of the city’s delicious fried chicken, and (rightly) stressed the need for a more balanced diet.
I heeded her words, and in the end I took the sensible decision to dedicate my meal times equally to fried chicken and korean bbq.
The South Koreans’ fried chicken formula doesn’t need messing with, in my humble opinion. So here’s a simple recipe for a Korean fried chicken burger with gochugaru mayo and homemade kimchi.
If you haven’t got the time/energy to make the kimchi yourself, then the shop bought stuff is fine.
Shopping list (serves 4)
Fried chicken:
Chicken thighs fillets (boneless & skinless) x 650g
Light soy sauce x 4 tbsp
Toasted sesame oil x 4tbsp
Garlic cloves (minced) x 2
Honey x 2 tbsp
Mirin x 2 tbsp
Black pepper x 1 tbsp
salt x 2 tsp
Lime juice x 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Cornflour x 500g
Gochugaru mayo:
Mayonaise x 8 tbsp
Gochugaru (korean red pepper powder) x 1 tbsp
Squeeze of lemon juice
Brioche burger buns (halved) x 4
Emmental (or other mild, creamy cheese) x 4 slices
Spinach x 1 handful
Kimchi x 4 tbsp
The recipe I use for kimchi is from Regina Pyo’s book, Our Korean Kitchen, and it can be found here via Nigella Lawson’s website https://www.nigella.com/cookbook-corner/our-korean-kitchen-by-jordan-bourke-and-rejina-pyo
For the chicken, simply slice each fillet in half, and mix the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, garlic cloves, honey and mirin together in a large bowl. Combine and leave to marinate overnight, or at least a couple of hours. Mix together the salt, black pepper and cornflour in a separate bowl.
In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil up to 180°C. Use a thermometer to do this safely, and accurately. Coat the thigh pieces once in the corn flour, then back into the marinade, and then again in the cornflour. Leave for five minutes, before dropping into the hot oil.
In batches, cook the pieces for five minutes. Once cooked, leave them to rest on a wire rack or some kitchen paper.
Make the mayo by mixing everything together.
Toast the brioche bun halves under a hot grill for a couple of minutes. Once lightly toasted, spread a good dollop of the mayo on each one. Now place a portion of the chicken on each of the bottom halves, and return them under the grill with a slice of the cheese on top. Once melted, remove.
Assemble the burger with a handful of kimchi and spinach on top of the chicken.
Enjoy!x
Food and Tunes 