This first attempt at Korean daksanjeok (chicken kebabs) met with decent success.* This was a tricky dish based on the fact the chicken goes through a number of processes -- pounded with a meat mallet, fried, simmered, and then finally cut into pieces and skewered. The end result is definitely worth the effort, however.
1. First I began by placing patted-dry chicken fillets under plastic and hitting them with a meat mallet until flat. These were then dashed with salt and pepper. The flattened pieces were then fried briefly (1-2 mins) on each side and then set aside.
2. Next I prepared a seasoned soy sauce of 5 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp ginger juice, 1 tsp rice wine, and 1/4 cup water. (The recipe also called for 1 tsp malt liquid, which I did not have and excluded.) This was added to the pan until simmering and allowed to thicken slightly. The chicken pieces were then added and allowed to simmer for 10 mins. After removing, sesame oil was added to the chicken and the allowed to cool down.
3. The chicken meat was then cut into strips and added to the kebobs, interweaving in pieces of very lightly stir fried green onion.* They were then garnished with strips of Korean red peppers. (Also called for in the recipe was strips of egg omlette, which I omitted as I don't like the taste of egg.)
* Problems encountered: one problem was that I had pounded the chicken breasts too hard, making them very thin and difficult to skewer in Step 3. Next time I will not make them quite so thin. I encountered a similar problem with the green onions. Even though I only stir fried them for a few seconds, they came out a little wilted for my taste. I will remedy this next time by barely cooking them at all. I may even skewer them fresh.
This was a fun dish to make and it would definitely appeal to a broad range of people, as the only spicy component, the red pepper garnish, can be removed easily by hand. Be forewarned however that Korean peppers are incredibly sneaky in the way they change flavor. When green, they are entirely mild with a taste similar to a Japanese shishito pepper. However, when they turn red, they are wickedly hot -- so much so that when I was shredding the ones seen in the photo, I began to choke from their fumes. This was entirely unexpected as I've always eaten my gochu when green. Be cautious and enjoy!
Comments
I think with chicken you don't have to hit them too hard ;) but you definitely need to if you're using meat because they're tougher.
But it almost looks like satay doesn't it? Maybe you could stick the fried chicken slices and the spring onions onto the kebabs before grilling.. Dunno if that helps tho as I've never seen this dish before.
Posted by: N | May 26, 2006 08:34 AM
Hi N: yeah, I'll be sure to not pound as hard next time!
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