Jjimdak, which is a braised chicken and vegetables dish, changed my way of life

Passport & Plate - Jjimdak

South Korea | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Chicken thigh 3 Ib (roughly 8 pieces)
Carrot 1 medium (or 8 oz of baby carrots)
Onion 2 medium
Potato 1 and 1/2 medium size
Shiitake mushroom 12 oz
Serrano peppers 4 oz (reduce it if you cannot handle spicy)
Minced Garlic 1 tbsp
Minced ginger 1 tsp
Rice noodle 4 oz
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
Sesame seed 1 tsp

*Ingredients for Sauce
Water 3 cups
Soy sauce 1/4 cup
Corn syrup 1/4 cup
Oyster sauce 1/4 cup
Sesame oil 1 tbsp
Brown sugar 1 tbsp

How to prepare this recipe
INGREDIENTS PREP
1. Rinse the chicken thigh, drain and set aside
2. Soak the rice noodle in very hot water. Drain it after 30 minutes
3. Cut peeled potato into 1 1/2 inch thick chunks.
4. Cut peeled carrots into about half size chunks of potato (or use whole baby carrots.)
5. Slice peeled onions into finger thick
6. Remove the stem of shiitake mushrooms. Slice thinly.
7. Slice Serrano peppers.
8. Cut off the root of green onion. Cut it into an inch long
9. For sauce, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, corn syrup, brown sugar and 3 cups of water.

COOK
1. Heat up wide bottom pan over medium heat. Put vegetable oil.
2. Add dried pepper, take them out and discard after it turns to dark.
3. Add chicken. Fry it until both sides turn to golden brown over high heat.
4. Lower the heat to medium, add minced garlic and ginger. Stir to combine them.
5. Move the chicken to a pot. Add potato and mixture of sauce. Stir until it combined. Let it boil for 10 minutes, over high heat, lid closed.
6. Add carrots and onions. Mix them and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Add soaked rice noodle, shiitake mushrooms and green onions for 5 minutes more. Keep the lid opened.
8. Put the sesame oil after turn the heat off. Move the food to the complete dish. Sprinkle sesame seed on the top of it.

The story behind this recipe
I am an exchange student at Carroll College in the US. One of the biggest goals I set before leaving Korea was to try as many new foods as possible, and to introduce Americans to the taste of Korean food. From my school cafeteria meals to homemade dishes, I have tasted lots of American food. I also got the opportunity to share the unique flavor of Korea with people here.

Last semester, Carroll College held an International Dinner, an event for the entire school and staff where food was made and served by international students. I believe the flavor and appearance of Korean cuisine fascinates Americans. This dinner became the perfect opportunity for me to reminisce about home while sharing my culture with the school. Therefore, not only was I excited about the dinner—I was totally absorbed in it.

When I thought about which dish would be the best to serve, Jjimdak came to my mind. Made with chicken, vegetables and noodles, Jjimdak could embody the Korean flavor I wanted all Americans to taste. One of the reasons I love Jjimdak is because it is my mom’s specialty. I asked her to give me the recipe. However, because I could not find all the ingredients I needed in America, I had to modify the recipe and created my own global version of Jjimdak, which I now love even more than the original one.

After all the cooking and serving, people told me my dish tasted remarkable. They loved the Jjimdak so much the head chef kissed my hand when he tasted it. Seeing people enjoy my food made me feel both euphoric and proud. It was the first time I had cooked in a big kitchen, sharing the kitchen with chefs while preparing a meal for 500 people. The international dinner was an amazing experience and so much fun for me; it was during the dinner that I realized I should be cooking for the rest of my life. Becoming a chef would be the most meaningful way to introduce Korean food to others while experiencing other international foods. Most importantly, I had the time of my life.