Korean Fried Chicken

Gizzi: ” Many of the calories from fried chicken come from two things; deep-frying and the accompaniments. Korean fried chicken is eaten on its own or with rice and in this recipe I have shallow fried and baked it saving bounds of calories”

Serves 4

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 1 large cucumber
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2½ tbsp gochujang (fermented chilli paste)

For the chicken

  • 4 chicken breasts, skin off, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 80g fine matzo meal
  • 80g self-raising flour
  • 3 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp ground paprika
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp togarashi, (Japanese 7-spice powder)
  • 2 tsp gochugaru, (Korean dried red chilli flakes) or 2 teaspoons chilli flakes
  • 2 tsp of gochujuang
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil

METHOD

How to make Korean fried chicken

1. For the salad, cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Slice into 5mm crescents and tip into a bowl. Cover and chill. Whisk together the mirin, vinegar, sugar and two tablespoons of the sesame seeds in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette onto the cucumber and return to the fridge for a further 30 minutes.

2. Drain through a fine sieve, reserving the dressing. Return the cucumber to the bowl, and stir in any sesame seeds that may have collected on the bottom of the sieve. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.

3. For a dipping sauce, put the gochujang in a small bowl and whisk in the reserved dressing from the cucumber (there should be about 75ml). Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds. Taste and add more chilli paste or sugar if you like. Pour into small dishes.

4. Now prepare the chicken in a bowl, mix together the matzo meal, flour, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, sesame seeds, togarashi, gochugaru, gochujang and onion powder. Stir in about 500ml of ice-cold water to make a loose, thin batter. Whisk well to remove any lumps.

5. Dip each piece of chicken in the batter and fry in batches in the oil for about 6 – 8 minutes. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon, then pop into the hot oven and bake for 10 minutes. Serve the fried chicken on plates with a small bowl of the dipping sauce and cucumber salad alongside.