Is it the end of BernyEatsTheWorld?

February was the last time I managed to post something! February!?  I have been writing this blog for almost 12 years, with my first post written by a recently graduated and ready for the world 21 year old (and seemingly illiterate if you read that first post!).  This blogs soul purpose has always been to help me keep track of which National Dishes I have successfully ticked off.  The fact that people read it and I made enough money to buy myself a pint every now and then was just a nice bonus.  Of course it was not going to last forever, but when would be a good time to stop?!

Since leaving China, several events have brought me to this point in time.  A time where I haven't eaten a delicious aeroplane meal or smelt the sweet scent of mozzie repellent for over 2 years.  I have been busy though.  When we decided to come back to the UK we were absolutely adamant that it would not result in the end of our travels.  Covid-19, however, had other plans.  3 lockdowns later, a much more wonderful pause to our travels arrived in March in the form of our baby boy. 

What excites me now is to be able to share the world with him soon.  Had Covid not been such a pain I am sure he would have experienced his first plane ride by now but instead we have been staycationing it up.  I have no doubt that we will soon be back on our travels, but whether I will be writing like I used to is anybody's guess.  At the very least I will keep the national dishes checklist up-to-date.  At the very best I may write a couple of paragraphs and throw up a few pictures.  You never know, I could still be going for another 12 years.  Watch this space!   

Korean Fried Chicken

I was surprised to see how popular fried chicken was in South Korea but the way they prepare it makes it 100% a South Korean speciality.  The star of this show is the sticky, sweet and spicy sauce that is unlike any other sauce that you have tasted.  I make the sauce quite regularly even if it is not for fried chicken!  Dip your chips in it or whack it into a stir fry; it is possibly my favourite sauce. 

Ingredients:

The Main

1 KG Chicken Thighs with bone (chicken wings or thigh fillets work too)

2 tbsp Rice Wine

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp Ginger paste

1 tsp salt

0.5 tsp pepper

1 cup corn/potato flour

Plenty of oil for deep frying

1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds

2 chopped Spring onions

The Sauce

¼ cup Ketchup

¼ cup Honey

¼ cup Brown sugar

2 tbsp GoChuJang Chilli Paste (from your local Oriental Supermarket - No Substitutions!!)

2 tbsp dark Soy Sauce

2 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Method:

The Sauce can be made ahead of time.  Simple as putting it all into a saucepan and bringing to a simmer for 10 minutes.  GoChuJang is a special Korean fermented chilli paste and is what gives the very unique flavour.  Your lock Oriental Supermarket will definitely have it as it is such a key ingredient in South Korean cuisine. 

Slice thighs in to two pieces close to the bone so you have boneless and bone pieces.

Marinade chicken pieces in the rice wine, ginger paste, salt and pepper for an hour and then dredge the chicken pieces in corn flour.  Keep the skins on!

Separate the bone and boneless pieces as they will cook at different times.  Fry the bone chicken for around 5 minutes and set aside.  Fry the boneless pieces for around 3-4 minutes.  Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.

The chicken may look a little anaemic still but don't worry.  It will go in for a second fry! Put the bone chicken back in the oil and fry until nicely golden and crispy.  This usually takes about 3-4 minutes.  Place the fried chicken on kitchen roll whilst you finish frying the rest of the chicken.

Warm the sauce up and once all the chicken is fried place it in a large bowl and pour over the sauce.  Toss the chicken in the sauce, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onion and serve immediately.

For a vegan (and much healthier) alternative, roast a load of cauliflower florets until a little charred and crisp and stir fry it into the sauce (picture below)!