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Kimchi fried rice (kimchi bokkeum bap)
You can throw kimchi fried rice together using nothing but leftovers. It’s an amazingly easy and economical dish – yet it still packs a huge flavour punch. This is a traditional favourite with university students who are living on a low budget. If I ever want a home-cooked meal but am feeling too lazy to “cook”, kimchi fried rice comes to the rescue.
It is best to cook the short-grain rice a day ahead then refrigerate overnight to draw out any excess moisture. That way, the rice will be drier and easier to cook. Freshly cooked rice often turns soggy when you try to stir-fry it.
Serves 2
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup (150g) cabbage kimchi, roughly chopped
500g cooked short-grain rice
¼ cup (60ml) kimchi juice
2 tbsp gochujang (red chilli paste)
2 tsp sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced
2 fried eggs, sunny-side up, to serve
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute until fragrant. Add the kimchi and stir-fry for another minute. Add the rice and use the back of a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. Add the kimchi juice and gochujang and stir-fry for three to four minutes, until well combined. Reduce the heat if the rice begins to stick to the base of the pan.
Add the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add half the spring onion, mix well, then divide the fried rice between two bowls. Scatter with the remaining spring onion and top each bowl with a fried egg. Serve immediately.
Soy-braised chicken wings (dak nalgi jorim)
This is especially popular with children and it’s a great addition to a school lunchbox. Whenever I make it, I like to double the quantity and keep the leftovers in the fridge – that way I have lunch or dinner sorted for the next day. You just reheat the wings and drizzle that sweet and savoury sauce over some steamed rice.
Serves 2
500g chicken wings
100ml soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin (a type of rice wine)
¼ cup (55g) caster sugar
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 2 tbsp water
Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced
Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken wings into three parts: the meaty drumette, the wingette and the tip. Save the wing tips for another recipe or discard.
Put the chicken pieces in a large saucepan and fill with 500ml (two cups) of water. Add the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and garlic and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid (leaving it slightly ajar), then simmer for about one hour, until the chicken is tender and the skin is soft, like jelly.
Pour the cornflour mixture into the sauce and stir gently to thicken. Transfer the chicken to a serving bowl, pour over the sauce and garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Sticky rice dumplings (chapssaltteok)
Chapssaltteok is a popular Korean treat akin to Japanese mochi cakes. These sweet and chewy glutinous rice dumplings, filled with red bean paste, are typically served as a sweet bite with tea when guests drop by. They also symbolise good luck, and a batch of them makes a perfect gift for friends and family.
Makes 8
200g tinned sweet red (anko) beans
For the sticky rice dough
1 cup (175g) glutinous rice flour
¼ cup (55g) caster sugar
Pinch of salt
Cornflour (cornstarch), for dusting
Put the red beans in a food processor or use a handheld blender to blend the beans to a fine paste. The paste should be thick, but not wet. Take two tablespoons of the paste and roll it into a ball with your hands. Repeat with the remaining paste to make eight balls. Transfer them to a baking tray lined with baking paper and set aside until ready to use.
To make the sticky rice dough, combine the rice flour, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl and stir to combine. Stirring continuously, gradually add 250ml (one cup) of water in a steady stream. Stir until a thick paste forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the microwave. Cook the mixture on high for three minutes, then carefully remove the bowl (it will be hot) and beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough should be stretchy and translucent. If it is not, microwave for another 30 seconds and beat again. Continue until you achieve the right consistency, then set aside to cool slightly.
Once the dough is cool enough to handle, turn it out on to a work surface dusted liberally with cornflour. Sprinkle a little extra cornflour over the top of the dough to prevent it from sticking, then roll the dough out to a 5mm thickness. Dip the blade of a sharp knife or pizza cutter in some cornflour, then cut out eight even-sized circles about 10cm in diameter.
Take one disc of dough and use a pastry brush to gently dust off any excess cornflour. Place a ball of red bean filling in the centre of the disc, then fold the edges over the filling and pinch together to seal. Gently roll it in your hands to form a smooth ball, then place it, seam side down, on a baking tray dusted with cornflour. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make eight dumplings.
Store the dumplings in an airtight container at room temperature and eat within two days.
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This is an edited extract from Cook Korea! by Billy Law, photography by Daniel Herrmann-Zoll and Haeri Lee. Out 4 March (Smith Street Books, AU$49.99).
