Korean fried chicken with pickled radish cubes recipe
Being American I have always loved fried chicken. Korean Fried Chicken, the better KFC, has been gaining wide popularity in its many forms. The difference is in the very thin crisp skin. The spicy sauce can either be drizzled on top or kept on the side. As a kid, I used to just eat the skin off fried chicken - it’s the best part! My version has the thinnest crispiest crust ever.
Tip: The batter’s dry and wet ingredients can be assembled but not mixed together ahead of time. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients right before you’re ready to fry the chicken, otherwise the batter may thicken too much.
Tip: Cook the chicken in batches, cooking the drumsticks and thighs together as one batch and the wings as a separate batch.
Tip: Loosen the BBQ sauce with a little water if you want to drizzle the sauce or glaze the chicken.
Ingredients
For the pickled radish cubes- 113 g rice vinegar
- 113 g water
- 113 g superfine sugar or caster sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 500 g daikon radish, cut into 1¼cm cubes
- 32 g cornstarch or cornflour
- 2.5 tsp sea salt
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 10 grinds black pepper
- 2 chicken drumsticks, 2 thighs and 4 wings (with tips, bone in, skin on)
- 70 g cornstarch or cornflour
- 35 g fine matzo meal
- 35 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 2.5 tsp garlic granules
- 2.5 tsp onion granules
- 0.25 tsp baking powder
- 237 g water
- 75 g vodka
- 2 tbsp Korean chilli paste (kochujang)
- 3 tbsp Korean chilli paste (gochujang)
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp roasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Details
- Cuisine: Korean
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 80 mins
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- The pickled radish cubes should be made in advance. Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl, whisking until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the radish and toss to coat. Leave at room temperature, covered, for 24 hours. Then refrigerate. Serve later, cold, with fried chicken.
- Make the Pre-coating: In a large bowl whisk together the first 4 ingredients. Add the chicken and toss well until evenly coated in all areas. Transfer chicken to a rack, shaking the chicken well to get rid of any excess coating. Let rest uncovered for one hour.
- Pour enough oil into a suitable pan (eg dutch oven) to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat until a deep fry thermometer reads 175 celsius.
- Make the Batter: In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Just before frying, whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture. The consistency should be relatively thin and runny.
- Working in two batches, dip each piece of chicken into the batter, letting excess batter drip off. Suspend the chicken in the oil for a couple of seconds for it to set before letting it slip completely into the oil, otherwise the chicken will fall and stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Fry chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes per batch. Transfer to a wire rack to drain as done.
- Make the BBQ Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve the chicken with the BBQ sauce, pickled radish (recipe follows below) and beer.
Judy Joo features in Korean Food Made Simple, which airs at 6.30pm 26th January on Food Network UK Freeview channel 41, Sky 248/250, Freesat 149/151, Virgin 287.
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