How to Korea Steamed Chicken

Illustrated by Owen Lee

 In rainy days, I like to make myself a dish that would warm up my stomach and appetite like taking sips of good warm tomato soup after taking a hot shower. Since it was raining the whole day, I decided to make Korean steamed chicken tonight, also known as ‘jjimdak’ (I am not sure if I spelled it right). Anyways, this dish is mouthwatering and famous for its sweet umami taste. There are lots of variations among the recipes out there. I just have my own recipe of it which is a bit spicier than the other recipes. I prefer the spicy tangy flavor that eliminates the greasiness of the chicken fat. So, let’s get started!

Ingredients:

• Chicken thigh 4 to 6 pieces (if you buy 2 kg of chicken thigh on Costco, use ¼ of it which is about 500g = good serving of 2 ppl)

• 2 Carrots

• Half of onion

• 2 Thai chili 

• Soy sauce (1/3 cup)

• 5 spoons of Green plum extract (maesil chung) If you don’t have this it’s ok, 2 spoons of sugar can replace it

• Sweet potato glass noodles (I love the texture of this noodle)

Steps: (estimated time: 50 mins to 1 hour)

1. On a pot, pour 3 spoons of cooking oil to coat the bottom and fry the diced onion at a medium heat (don’t worry about the size of the onion because the onion will turn soft and tender so you wouldn’t notice them by the end).

2. Meanwhile, soak your glass noodles in warm water.

3. Once the onion becomes soft and turns a bit brown, add diced carrots and Thai chili (size doesn’t matter because it will get tender and soft as you boil them)

4. Add about 700ml – 1 L of water on the pot and a bit of salt.

5. Pour your sauce into the pot (1/3 cup of soy sauce and 4 to 5 spoons of green plum extract) then let it boil.

6. Dice the chicken thigh into bitable size then fry it in the air fryer 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or you can fry it in a pan with some cooking oil until it is half cooked.

7. Remove the excess grease of the chicken and add the cooked chicken and glass noodle into the pot and stir the pot.

8. Boil for another 10 to 15 minutes (this makes the sauce to soak the chicken).

Enjoy your delicious Korean steamed chicken with hot sticky rice.