Korean-Style Fried Chicken

I used to post for this thing, but I quit.  Now I’m back and it feels great.

And first topic up after about seven months of hard thinking – cooking.

This recipe comes courtesy of the New York Times, which two weeks ago covered New York City’s new love for various Asian styles of fried chicken.  This recipe is meant to be a take off of Korean-style fried chicken, as it uses gojuchang chili paste, which if you trust the NYT, is commonly used in Korean cooking.  Personally, I’m a bit skeptical as to whether or not this is genuine Korean fare, as the gojuchang chili paste is mixed with equal parts ketchup.  But who am I do speculate about the authenticity of Korean cuisine?

Here’s the recipe and the link:

Time: 30 minutes, plus one hour’s marinating

1 small yellow onion, coarsely grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for coating

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for coating

8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered, or 24 wings

3 tablespoons Korean chili paste (gojuchang)

3 tablespoons ketchup

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, more for garnish

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Oil for deep frying

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cornstarch.

1. In a medium-size bowl, combine grated onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Cover and set aside to marinate for about 1 hour.

2. In a large bowl, stir together chili paste, ketchup, sugar, sesame seeds and lemon juice. Taste and adjust flavors to get a spicy-sweet-tangy finish. Set aside.

3. Pour oil into a large heavy pot to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Heat to 350 degrees. Combine flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.

4. Working in batches to avoid crowding, lift chicken from marinade, dredge lightly in seasoned flour and cornstarch, gently drop into oil and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken, checking oil temperature between batches.

5. For wings only, when all pieces are done, increase oil temperature to 375 degrees and refry in batches for 30 to 60 seconds, until very crisp. Drain once more on paper towels. While chicken is still hot, brush thickly with chili sauce. Serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Tips: The people who will actually make this chicken likely do not need tips about frying, as their initiative is suggestive of a pre-existing interest in cooking.  But I’m going to give tips anyway.  First, if you don’t have a thermometer and want to test the temperature of your oil, just poke in a wooden chopstick and if bubbles shoot up after about two seconds, you’re ready to go.  If bubbles shoot up immediately, then that means the oil is too hot.  If it takes longer than three seconds, then the oil is not hot enough.

On the second fry, be prepared to fish that chicken out fast because it can burn very easily.  The recipe says to leave in for a minute, but keep it down closer to forty seconds.  The second fry is your friend, as it is the key to forming a crispy crust.  But be aware, that it can quickly turn your enemy and scorch the chicken.

These wings are wonderfully delicious, perfect for parties, and go well with beer.  So give it a shot and if you find the time, tell me what you thought in the comments section.

~Matt Savas

Restaurant Review: Rotti

Indian Restaurant Rotti インドレストランロッティ

Living in rural Ishikawa may mean that you don’t have international cuisine in your town, but a trip to Kanazawa can remedy this.  When I first moved to Ishikawa, my sempai took me to Rotti, an Indian restaurant.  It’s a rather small place by American standards, but it has a good atmosphere and excellent food. I am a particular fan of saag, a spinach-based dish, and saag paneer, which is saag with cheese. I can never seem to find those dishes in Indian restaurants in my hometown, so I was ecstatic to see them on the menu.

I ordered a “ladies’ set,” which includes a curry, a small salad, a piece of tandoori chicken, nan, and a soft drink or dessert, for ￥1400. This seems to be the cheapest option, and you can really split one ladies’ set between two people. If you order regular nan, you get a huge piece the size of an Western dinner plate.  I special-ordered my set with kandbari nan, which is nan filled with almond paste and cherries, which cost me an extra ￥300. It’s delicious on its own, but it is to die for when dipped in saag paneer. The mango juice there is also quite good.

Ladies' Set of saag paneer, salad, tandoori chicken, and (substituted) kandbari nan

You can also get just tandoori chicken for around ￥1000 or buy a curry plate for around ￥1700. Most of the curries are available with or without meat, so vegetarians have lots of options, too. In addition, you can select the level of spiciness: 甘、普通、中辛、激辛and インド辛い: sweet, regular, medium hot, extremely hot, and “Indian style.”  The medium level was fine for me—not too spicy by my standards. The next time I was in town, I tried the 大辛, but that was a little too spicy and had me calling the waiter over every ten minutes for water.

The menu is in English and Japanese, so you should be able to find your favorites easily.

Rotti

Rotti is located at

石川県金沢市鞍月５丁目９２ (Ishikawa-ken, Kanazawa-shi, Kuratsuki 5-chome 92)

Tel. 076-239-4999‎

Located on behind Kanazawa BeanS on the Kencho Road.  By bus, get off at the 県庁 (Kenchou) and walk about 10 minutes along the road in front of the Kenchou offices; the restaurant is behind Kanazawa BeanS.  Free parking for cars, too.

Leah Zoller is a first-year CIR in Anamizu and will be ordering the saag paneer and kandhari naan.

Flatt’s by the Sea

For one of the most delicious meals in Ishikawa head up to Flatt’s by the Sea located along the 249 in Noto-cho.  Owned by an Australian-Japanese couple, Flatt’s is well known for its bakery, which serves up over a dozen different breads and pastries daily.  In addition to the bakery, the chef/owner, Ben, crafts a seasonal Italian menu that utilizes Noto ingredients.  The results are spectacular and certainly worth even a two or three-hour drive from Kanazawa.

 

There is no menu at Flatt’s, neither a la carte nor course.  When making a reservation the customer chooses one of three options: a 5-course, 6-course, or 7-course menu that range from 3000 to 5000 yen.  Up until the time of service, the customer only knows that there will be a soup course, a fish course, a pasta course, and a dessert.  There is no hint to any of the ingredients.  This may seem awkward given the price tag, but you should not hesitate in entrusting Ben with your dinner. 

 

In December, a friend and I had the six-course menu and it was stunning.  Everything was beautifully prepared and more than once I said, “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” Foodies talk about taste memories and how the way you know whether a meal was truly good or not is if you are left with taste memories.  Well, I was left with several of them.  The fish course was the best piece of fish I have ever tasted.  Coming from New England, one of the fish capitals of the United States, that is saying a lot.  And the shellfish course with sweetened eggplant may actually have been the best thing I have ever tasted.  The pasta course with crab and cream sauce was rich, but light enough not to fill me up.  The only disappointing course was dessert – a chocolate cake.  Although tasty, it was a plain ending for such a great meal.

 

Twice during the meal Ben came out to talk about his food.  He explained that the restaurant makes everything in-house.  This includes ishiri, soy sauce made from squid, which takes two years to prepare.  Also, all of the produce is sourced from Ben and his family’s farms.  The only thing brought in from outside is the fish, which Ben buys daily at local auctions.  The reason the fish tastes so good, Ben said, is because Noto fisherman come in the same day they go out, rather than spending three or four days at sea.  Thus, nothing is ever frozen and is as fresh as can be. 

 

I cannot recommend Flatt’s highly enough.  It’s the perfect place for a romantic date or even a party with friends.  Considering the quality of the food, the price is an unbelievable steal.  Everyone living in Ishikawa should take advantage of this at least once, especially those of us living in the Noto. 

 

Reservations are mandatory at Flatt’s.  It is recommended that you book at least two weeks in-advance.  Flatt’s was featured in the latest Lonely Planet guide and has thus become a popular destination for tourists and can fill up quickly.  Dinner starts at 6:00, but can be moved back to as late as 7:30 by special request.  Flatt’s can only serve 30 people per night, so parties bigger than that are likely not possible.

If your Japanese is not great and you are concerned about making a reservation, fear not because both Ben and his wife speak English and they handle all of the reservations.  Information about reservations and Flatt’s in general can be found at their website.  

GO TO FLATT’S!