Chicken braised in a fiery sweet sauce: it’s definitely not granny’s Sunday casserole, but Andong jjimdak just might become your family’s favourite weekend comfort food.
Ingredients You Will Need To Cook Andong Jjimdak
- 1.5kg (3lbs) chicken meat (thighs, wings and legs work well)
- 100g (3½oz) glass noodles (vermicelli)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce (use more soy sauce if not available)
- 4 tbs rice syrup (corn syrup or honey)
- 1 tbs dark brown sugar
- 1–2 tbs minced garlic
- 1–2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups water
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 medium carrot, sliced length ways
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 whole dried red chilli pepper, sliced
- 1–2 whole green chilli peppers, sliced
- 5–7 green onions, chopped
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds, to garnish
Recipe To Make Andong Jjimdak
- Cook the chicken in boiling water for 1 minute to remove excess fat, then drain and set aside.
- Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes, then drain.
- Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice syrup, sugar, garlic, ginger and pepper in a bowl.
- Place the chicken, sauce mixture and water in a wide pot and bring to the boil, then turn down to a medium heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, carrot and onion and simmer 10 minutes, keeping the lid on.
- Add the drained noodles and chilli peppers and simmer for 7-10 minutes over a medium–high heat, until the sauce reduces by a third.
- Remove from the heat and pour into a wide serving dish
- Stir in the sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve.
History Of Andong Jjimdak
Legend suggests this soy sauce-based fricassee was created in the 1980s in response to the surging popularity of fried chicken. The traditional way of serving chicken in market restaurants, boiled in a bland broth, was losing appeal. Creative minds in Andong had a Eureka moment: add some potatoes. Other suggestions followed and the idea for a new regional fare hatched: seasoned chicken casserole with veggies, glass noodles and a dollop of chilli peppers.