Jjimdak is chicken braised with vegetables with the addition of brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. My version includes padron peppers, which bring a mild spiciness to the dish.
Serves 3-4
boneless chicken thighs 1kg, skin on, cut into bite-sized pieces
water 200ml
potatoes 200g, cut into bite-sized pieces
carrot 1 small, thickly sliced
crushed chilli flakes ½ tbsp
mushrooms 30g, sliced
padron peppers 130g
For the sauce
soy sauce 140ml
brown sugar 70g
water 200ml
fresh ginger 1 tsp, minced
garlic 2 tbsp, minced
spring onions 4, sliced
sesame oil 3 tbsp
To garnish
toasted sesame seeds
red chilli 1, sliced
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Put the chicken, sauce and the 200ml of water in a flameproof heavy-based casserole. Bring it to the boil over a medium-high heat and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, carrots and chilli flakes to the pot. Cover and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes.
Stir in the mushrooms and padron peppers. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for a final 8 minutes, keeping the lid on, to allow the flavours to meld.
Garnish with sesame seeds and the sliced red chilli. Serve hot with a bowl of steamed rice.
From Korean Made Easy by Seji Hong, out 6 June (Kyle Books, £22). To order a copy for £19.36 go to guardianbookshop.com
