Move over, Colonel and KFC. Your days are through.
Why?
Because Korean deep-fried chicken is taking your place!
Whilst not a ‘traditional’ dish (in that the history of the dish comes from the influence of the US in Sth Korea rather than from hundreds of years and generations of perfection), this is still a food that has been around in the country for certainly almost as long as I’ve been alive, and as such, every family has their own unique twist to how they make it.
This is a recipe that my mother somehow put together and has worked on during my lifetime – the flavours in the dish have morphed so slowly that I can’t really remember what it tasted like the first time I made it. However, the current method we use is just so popular with friends and family that I’m fairly sure my mother is happy enough to now leave it be!
But then again, this *is* my mother we’re talking about…
Anyway, on to the recipe!
Our ‘Secret’ Recipe – Korean spicy deep-fried chicken
Chicken Marinade Ingredients
3kg chicken wings
1 cup milk (can substitute with soy milk if lactose intolerant)
2 tsp salt
3 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
5 cloves garlic
1/2 finely grated brown onion
Chicken Coating Ingredients
3 tbsp Korean curry powder (Ottugi Korean curry powder is the one we use, I’ve tried other curry powders but it just doesn’t taste right)
1/2 cup potato starch
1 1/2 cup tempura flour
Tempura flour is a pre-mixed low-gluten flour that contains some seasonings and leavenings (the brand I use contains baking powder). You should be able to purchase this at any Chinese/Japanese/Korean grocery store. If you can’t find it, then substitute it with 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup corn starch, sifted together twice.
As far as Korean curry powder, I’ve only seen it stocked online or at Korean grocery stores – though your local Asian grocer might have it on the shelves if you’re lucky.
Sweet & Spicy Sauce Ingredients
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/3 cup tomato sauce (Western-style, not the Asian ones which taste completely different)
1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire/Worcester Sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
Important Cooking Notes:
The process to make this dish is rather long, but it important that you do not miss any of the steps as this will alter the final outcome. The difference between this dish and Western-style deep fried chicken is that it is twice-fried to give it an exterior that stays crisp and crunchy despite being left overnight in a thick, spicy sauce! Our family also prefers using a dry coating to any sort of batter, as this gives an extremely thin end coating and doesn’t compete with the flavourings of the chicken and the sauce.
Also, in case you are tempted to use larger portions of chicken – don’t. The small and fairly uniform size of chicken wings is what allows for fast and even cooking. There’s no rule that says you can’t use other cuts, but in that case, I take no responsibility for whatever happens to your cooking times and the potentially dry and/or undercooked meat you will have in the end.
The utensils you will need for this dish are:
- deep-fryer (we use a wok which we use just for deep-frying)
- wire cooking net (found in Chinese grocery stores and excellent for deep-frying) or a slotted spoon
- a large, flat, metal strainer (found in Korean grocery stores), or a few large metal colanders lined with kitchen towels
- mixing bowls
- chefs knife, meat cleaver and chopping boards
- a large, clean plastic bag
- garlic press
- grater
- Measuring spoons & cups
1. The first thing that you need to do is prepare the chicken. Of course, if you buy pre-cut and prepared chicken wings then you’re fine, but I prefer to cut and trim them myself…just because 
A chicken wing has three sections – the ‘drumette’, the mid-wing and the wing tip. Use your meat cleaver to cut through each joint so that each wing is cut into three pieces.
2. Once your wing has been split into three pieces, cut off any thick chunks of skin from the wingette and mid-wing (there is usually 2-3 bits that can come off, you want the remaning skin to be just paper thin segments). Discard the removed skin and wing tips as they will not be used.
3. Cut three slits into each side of the drumette and mid-wing section – this will allow the pre-frying marinade to get right into the meat to keep it moist and impart a little flavour. Once you’ve prepared all the chicken wings, set aside for now.
4. Mix up the marinade in a large bowl – milk, salt, pepper, sugar, ginger, garlic and onion. Stir to combine.
5. Add the chicken and turn a few times with your hands to ensure that the chicken is evenly covered. Allow to sit for 1 hour, then drain well for at least 15 minutes.
6. Toss together the potato starch, Korean curry powder and the tempura powder in the clean plastic bag, then add the chicken and toss it around to ensure it is evenly coated.
Preheat the oil to approx 160 degrees C. Dust off any excess flour from each chicken piece, then add a few pieces to the hot oil (being careful not to overcrowd as this will make the temperature of the oil drop and affect the cooking process). Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side to ensure even cooking.
7. Once the chicken has been deep-fried for about 10 minutes and is very lightly golden, use the slotted spoon to remove from the oil and place in your metal strainer/colander to cool. Try and keep the chicken pieces in a single layer – this avoids oil dripping from piece to piece during the cooling process, and also allows steam to escape so that the chicken coating stays crisp. Allow the chicken to sit and drain for about 10 minutes.
8. Increase the temperature of the oil to 180 degrees C, and fry the chicken for a second time for another 8-10 minutes, or until each piece is golden brown in colour (the picture below and to the right shows the colour difference between the first fry and second fry).
Once all the chicken pieces have been deep-fried for a second time, set aside on your metal strainer/colander.
9. While the chicken is resting, finely dice 1 1/2 onions and saute in a a frying pan with a little olive oil.
10. Once the onion is soft, add the ketchup (tomato sauce), sweet chilli sauce, water, Worcestershire/Worcester Sauce and chilli flakes. NOTE – add chilli flakes according to taste. If you’re a wuss when it comes to things hot & spicy, then you should reduce the amount to 1 tsp. If you love your chilli, you could even bump this up to 3 tsp (no more though, as this is a very strong sauce as it is). Allow the sauce to simmer until slightly thickened.
11. Once the sauce is ready, add a few chicken pieces at a time to the sauce and give them just a very thin coating of sauce – if there is too much, then it will overpower all the other flavours in the dish.
Plate up and enjoy with rice, banchan, and lots of pickles (which will be a post all of their own!)
As far as garnishes are concerned, you should stick with finely sliced spring onion or toasted sesame seeds…but it’s really not necessary, as once people catch a whiff of the amazing smell of this dish, I doubt you’ll have time to garnish before they start digging in!
As for those leftover wing tips? Well, why not give them to your friendly neighbourhood dog? I know Mr Woofy certainly wouldn’t say more to a few more such morsels 
Technorati Tags: chicken wings, spicy, deep fried, Korean recipe, brothers, golden retrievers
Sorry folks, haven’t had time to put together the bee tutorial yet – but here’s my adaptation of Magnolia Bakery’s red velvet cupcake recipe! It is very fiddly, as far as cupcake recipes go, but the end results give a cupcake that is unbelievably light, fluffy and moist – so it’s a winner for me!
Red Velvet Cupcakes
(adapted from ‘More from Magnolia‘ red velvet cake recipe)
Ingredients
520g plain cake flour (NOT self-raising), sifted twice
170g unsalted butter, softened
500g caster sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tsp red food colouring gel
5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Frosting ingredients
400g block cream cheese (not the stuff in tubs), softened and cut into small pieces
80g unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
5 cups sifted icing powder
HANDY TIP 1: I find that most frostings are FAR too sweet for my liking, so I actually like to replace my icing sugar with icing powder instead. The reason for this is because icing powder is a mixture of icing sugar & corn starch, and the latter helps to provide bulk and thicken the frosting without as much sweetness as using pure icing sugar would.
HANDY TIP 2: Try and hunt down some good quality food colouring pastes or gels. Wiltons are superb and the colours are so strong that you only need a small amount to dye cupcake batter. The red I use for these cupcakes is the Americolor vibrant red and, as you can see, it worked very well. The reason you should use a gel or paste rather than plain water dye is because it gives more intense colour and adds far less liquid to your batter which can affect the texture and flavour.
1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C and prepare your cupcake liners – you will need to spoon out ALL the batter as soon as its complete, rather than just doing it after the first batch have baked. Weigh out your butter and sugar and beat together till the butter is light and creamy in colour and texture.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition, till the batter is very light and fluffy.
3. Measure out the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food colouring gel, then mix together and add to the batter (this is to try and reduce the amount of cocoa powder that will become airborne). Add this to cupcake batter and beat till well mixed in and the batter has turned a lovely deep salmon colour. Add more food colouring gel at this stage if necessary – but bear in mind the batter will become a bit darker once baked.
4. Stir the salt into the buttermilk, then add it to the batter in three batches, alternating with the sifted cake flour. Make sure you do not overbeat as this will result in dry, tough cupcakes.
5. At this stage you should have a thick but still slightly fluid batter that holds soft peaks. Mix together the baking soda (aka bicarb soda) and the vinegar, then add to the batter, mixing it in quickly and lightly.
Be careful. If you undermix then you’ll end up with big air pockets in your cupcakes, but overbeating will mean denser cupcakes and not the light fluffy ones you’re meant to have.
6. As soon as the baking soda/vinegar mix is incorporated into the batter, you need to start dividing it between cupcake liners.
The reason for this is that as soon as the baking soda/vinegar mixture meets the rest of the cake batter, it begins chemical reactions which result in aerating the batter. The longer it sits and the more the cake batter is disturbed, the more air you will lose from your batter.
7. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes each, or till a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cupcakes.
Make up the frosting: Beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest till light and creamy. Slowly add the icing powder, 1 cup at a time and beating for about 5 minutes between each addition. REFRIGERATE the frosting for about 1 hour before using – this allows the frosting to thicken up enough so it can be piped without losing shape.
Once the cupcakes are baked, allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then ice with the rested cream cheese frosting. For another special touch, you could add some pastel sprinkles and a fondant heart!
Sorry there’s no fondant bee guide this week, folks, but I’ve been flat out! I’ll try for this time next week What have I been doing? Well, working, baking and taking photos of my gorgeous friends:
Technorati Tags: Magnolia Bakery, baking, cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, recipe
Cupcakes. They’re all the rage right now – and why not? Dainty little morsels of cake topped with icing, and decorated so adorably that they make even the grumpiest old man I know laugh and feel tempted to enjoy one! As for the women…well, watch the entire female population of a large office swoon over an army of little cakes decorated with sprinkles and little smiley fondant bees, and you’ll be aware of the power that cupcakes hold.
During my “time off” (which is now what I’m using to refer to the time my blog was offline), I started work on a Cupcake Compendium encompassing tried and tested cupcake recipes as well as some tips for how to decorate them. Consider this the introductory post, in which I share with you my best-selling lemon cupcake recipe!
Ellie’s Lovely Lemon Cupcakes
(adapted from Amy Sedaris’s vanilla cupcake recipe)
Ingredients (makes approx. 36 small-medium sized cupcakes)
180g butter, softened
400g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp)
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
450g all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees C, and cream together your butter and sugar till creamy (sorry, pictures for this step are the wrong way around!)
2. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking powder and continue beating till the mixture is light and fluffy, then add your lemon zest and juice and beat in for another few minutes.
3. Add your milk and flour in 3 alternating batches, beating well after each addition. Once all the milk and flour has been added, beat at top speed for about 30 sec – 1 minute or till the mixture is smooth and shiny.
4. Line your cupcake baking tray with cupcake liners and fill each liner about 1/2 – 2/3 full – it depends on whether you want the cake to peep over the top of the liner, or stay completely contained. I personally prefer to underfill as it means you have a ‘tidier’ cupcake once they’re baked, iced and decorated.
HANDY TIP: Being the control freak that I am, I weigh out the amount for each cupcake on my electronic scales. This takes a little bit longer, but means that you get exactly the same amount of batter for each cupcake, meaning that they’ll all be quite uniform in shape and size once baked. This also makes the decorating process easier as it means not having to worry about any lack of uniformity in the cakes you’re dealing with.
5. Place your lined and filled cupcake tray into the oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted into each cupcake comes out clean.
HINT: These cupcakes are far better if you don’t let them brown (they will actually be done a few minutes before they start browning) so keep a very close eye on them after the 15 minute mark. Be advised that this particular recipe will result in very dry cupcakes if you overbake them.
6. Remove them from the oven and place on a cooling rack till they have completely cooled. While they are cooling, start to prep your lemon buttercream
FINAL NOTE: Although not included in this step by step, something I actually like to do with my lemon cupcakes is to cut out a cone from the top, fill it with homemade lemon curd and then replace the tops. This give extra lemony goodness and a nice slightly sour note which offsets the sweetness of the lemon buttercream very nicely!
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
(adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe)
Ingredients
225g unsalted butter, softened
6-8 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
HANDY TIP: I find that most frostings are FAR too sweet for my liking, so I actually like to replace my icing sugar with icing powder instead. The reason for this is because icing powder is a mixture of icing sugar & corn starch, and the latter helps to provide bulk and thicken the frosting without as much sweetness as using pure icing sugar would.
1. Beat the butter till it is creamy, then add 3 cups of sugar, milk, vanilla extract, lemon zest & juice and beat at high speed for 5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the rest of the sugar, adding 1 cup at a time and beating for 5 minutes after each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, continue beating at high speed till the mixture is extremely pale, light and very fluffy. Use immediately, or cover tightly with cling wrap if you’re not ready to ice your cupcakes just yet.
3. Once you’re ready to ice your cupcakes, the quickest and easiest way to do so is to use a large piping bag with large piping tips. I have a plain tip and a star tip, and I find that between the two of them, they cover all my frosting piping needs.
Fill your piping bag no more than 1/2 full – the reason for this is that holding onto the mixture for too long will melt the butter in the bag, meaning that by the time the last of the icing in the bag gets to the cupcakes, it will have turned into a runny mess.
4. Pipe your frosting onto the cupcakes with a slow, steady hand, making sure you keep an eye on the pressure you are using so that you try and use the same amount of frosting each time.
You can see here the ratio of cake to frosting that I like, as well as why I like to underfill my cupcake liners. By filling the liners just halfway with batter, they rise to just 2/3 the size of the liner, meaning that I can contain my frosting inside the liner as well – and that makes transporting and handling them MUCH easier!
5. Once you’ve piped your frosting on top, you can think about what additional decorations to do. Though I prefer using fontant and a mixture of royal and buttercream icing for my decorations, I keep a stash of various sprinkles for when I need to decorate in a hurry and I don’t have time to spend a few hours making 30-odd fondant bees!
6. Use the sprinkles of your choice (or a combination of them) and then distribute to any anxiously waiting family and friends to enjoy
Starting from the top left hand corner and rotating clockwise: Silver cachous in various sizes (I keep a number of different colours and sizes of these on hand), dried sugar flower sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, coloured sugar crystals.
Now, I’ll be featuring a huge ‘Beginner’s introduction to fondant’ post next week, so be sure to drop by then to pick up some easy fondant tricks and tips And yes, this will include a photo guide on how to make the fondant bees!
Technorati Tags: cupcakes, lemon, Magnolia Bakery, Amy Sedaris, cake decorating, how to, fondant
Others who have tried this recipe:
*cough*
Hi there.
Umm, I don’t know if you remember me. You see, it’s been awhile. After a major drama ended up crushing my spirit, I decided to take a break from the blog…which turned out to be longer than expected.
To be honest, I didn’t know if I’d come back. But here I am…so please be gentle, as it seems a bit like foreign ground
While I mustered the energy to restore this blog and resume posting to it, I was still busy at work in the kitchen, trying new recipes and accumulating even more cookbooks. However, this tasty treat is adapted from an old favourite of mine – ‘Every Day‘ by Bill Granger. While Bill’s recipes aren’t exactly high-class fare, its his penchant for providing fast, family-friendly and tasty recipes for home that make me adore him. This is one of those such recipes.
This sausage, sweet potato and capsicum frittata is one of those dishes that takes next to no time to knock together, but is tasty and versatile enough to be served up a few times in different forms till it’s gone! Excellent served warm with a little spicy salsa or chutney and garden salad, it also makes a great filling for a sandwich when accompanied with some chutney and bitter greens.
Sausage, Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Frittata
(Adapted from ‘Every Day‘ by Bill Granger)
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 spicy sausage of your choice (Chorizo or spicy Italian works great!), chopped
1 small-medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper (capsicum), deseeded and diced
1 large brown onion, peeled and diced
5 large eggs
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup light milk (I use soy thanks to frequent incompatability between cow juice and my digestive tract)
*optional: A handful of roughly chopped mushrooms is also marvellous in this
1. Preheat a cast-iron skillet (or ovenproof frying pan) with the oil, then add the onion and bell pepper (capsicum) and fry till slightly softened, then add the chopped sausage and fry till the sausage is cooked.
2. Meanwhile, either steam/boil/microwave the chopped sweet potato till it is almost completely cooked (i.e. soft enough to pierce all the way through but not mushy), then add this to the pan and stir it through for a few minutes to take on the other flavours of the dish.
3. Preheat your grill and the beat together the eggs and milk in a bowl, then carefully pour it over the top of the mixture, giving it a little stir to ensure the egg is getting right between all the chunks of sausage and veg. Sprinkle grated parmesan over the top, then lower the heat and leave to cook till the bottom and sides have just set, then place under the grill to cook the top.
4. Once it’s finished cooking, remove and serve either warm or cold with a spicy tomato salsa or chutney and some green salad on the side.
Technorati Tags: Sausage, Chorizo, Frittata, Bill Granger, Recipes
That’s right.
I’ve finally got this site back into (almost) perfect working order – after manually reposting some 200+ recipes, reorganizing them and putting the recipe index back together post by post.
Not only are all the old favourites back, I’ve got some brand NEW content scheduled to go up today
So, welcome back, readers Thank you for sticking by me and not abandoning me when I’d lost hope for this blog myself!
