Maeun Dakgui – Korean Twice Cooked Spicy Chicken

(매운 닭구이)
This dish was one of the “street” foods I enjoyed many years ago in Korea. It was served as a “drinking” dish in soju tents where it was cooked over a charcoal stove.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Ingredients:

2

pounds

boneless chicken thigh (4 to 6 thighs)

salt

pepper

Marinade

1/2

cup

soy sauce

1

cup

water or unsalted chicken broth

1/2

cup

medium or fine ground red chili pepper

1

cup

sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, or honey

2

each

fresh red chili or jalapeño peppers

1

each

small Asian pear*

6

each

garlic cloves, peeled

1

each

small white or yellow onion

1

ounce

ginger root, peeled

1

tablespoon

pure sesame oil

1/2

tablespoon

coarse ground black pepper

3

each

green onions, finely chopped

1

tablespoon

Korean rice cooking wine, rice vinegar, or mirin

(* may substitute 1/2 kiwi or 1 semi-sweet apple)

Procedure

Preparation

Chicken

Trim off any excess fat

Very lightly salt and pepper both sides of each thigh and let stand ten minutes.

Marinade

Slice onion, pear, peppers, and ginger root into small sections and place with garlic into blender, add water as needed and blend into a smooth paste.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Add a small amount of water as needed to maintain a thick smooth paste.

Stir well and refrigerate until use.

Mix

Place chicken in a mixing bowl, cover with marinade, and mix well.

Cover and place in refrigerator and let stand 4 to 8 hours.

Unused marinade may be refrigerated for future use

Cooking

1st Cook – Grilling

Place chicken on hot grill over high heat.

Cook each side until the marinade darkens and a light char appears (two to five minutes per side).

(Note: The best flavor is obtained from wood coals or charcoal.)

2nd Cook

Cut chicken into short strips and transfer to a wok or stir fry pan.

Add one or two tablespoons of the marinade.

Stir-fry for about 3 to 5 minutes until marinade thickens and adheres to meat.

(If your grill is hot enough, you can do this with your fry pan on the grill)

Garnish with sesame seed and chopped green onion.

Serve hot with rice and Ban Chan.