Dakgangjeong

Dakgangjeong

Many of you probably know that I posted it once already, years ago, but the version I’m showing you today is a little easier than the last one, and will be faster to make: I don’t mix a batter, I just coat the chicken in potato starch powder. I also skipped the ginger slices so we can cook the sauce faster.

In this recipe, both the peanuts and the chilis are optional. Both versions are delicious in their own way, and both of them are authentically Korean, they’re just two ways of making the same dish, kind of like there are many ways to make pizza. Take this chicken to a party and everyone will give you compliment.

Ingredients:

3½ pounds chicken wings (about 1.6 kg), washed and drained

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon minced ginger

2/3 cup potato starch or corn starch

1/3 cup peanuts (optional)

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 to 4 large dried red chili peppers, seeded, cut crosswise into ⅓ inch pieces (optional)

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup rice syrup or corn syrup

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon mustard (optional)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil, peanut oil)

Method:

1.Cut off the tip of each wing and chop the wing in half. After this is done you should have about 3 pounds of chicken, with 24 to 26 pieces.

2.Put the chicken in a bowl and mix with salt, ginger, and ground black pepper by hand.

3.Put 2/3 cup potato starch in a bowl and dip each wing in the powder to coat it, one by one. Squeeze each wing to press the coating to it tightly.

4. Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons cooking oil, minced garlic, and the dried red chili pepper.

5. Stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant for about 30 seconds.

6.Add soy sauce, rice syrup, vinegar, and mustard sauce (optional). Stir with a wooden spoon and let it bubble for a few minutes.

7.Add the brown sugar and continue stirring. Remove from the heat. Set aside.

8. Put 4 cups of cooking oil in a frying pan or pot and heat it up for 7 to 8 minutes over  high heat.

9.See if the oil’s ready by dipping a test wing into it. If the oil bubbles, it’s hot enough to start frying. Slide the coated wings one by one into the hot oil and cook for about 12 to 13 minutes, turning over a few times with tongs.

10.  Take the wings out of the oil and shake them off in a strainer. Turn off the heat, and let the wings sit for a few minutes. Reheat the oil and fry the wings again for another 12 to 15 minutes until they all look golden brown and feel super crunchy through the tongs. If your frying pan or pot is not large enough to fry all the chicken at once, divide it into batches like I do in the video. If you use a larger frying pot to cook them all at once, you’ll have to use more cooking oil.

11.  When the chicken is done, reheat the sauce until it bubbles.

12.  Add the hot chicken and mix well with a wooden spoon to coat.

13.  Remove from the heat and transfer the coated chicken to a large platter. Sprinkle  some sesame seeds over top and serve immediately. This chicken won’t lose its crunchiness, even by the next day. You don’t need any dipping sauce, but it goes well with Baek-kimchi.