If you have been to Seoul, Korea, Andong Jjimdak will definitely be on your must eat list.
Jjimdak is a korean dish, originated from the city of Andong. This dish is made with chicken with lots of vegetables and Korean sweet potato noodle, simmered in thick, rich umami, slightly spicy sauce. And this sauce really goes very very well with rice!
Boneless chicken legs are used in this dish as they have the more chicken flavor with smooth and tender texture. Moreover, they are moist and not easily overcook like chicken breast. You can also choose to use whole chicken instead.
For those who don’t really want the Jjimdak to be spicy, you can either omit the fresh red chillies or cook the chillies as a whole, without cutting. The dried chilies don’t really bring much heat to the dish. The spicy thermometer based on this recipe is 2/5 with range from 0 – 5 and 5 being the most spicy. Just add and omit the chili based on your personal preference. It will be a winning dish even without the heat.
Do not cut the potatoes and carrots too thick – cut to about 1 to 1.5 cm in thickness. As such, the potatoes and carrots will take a shorter time to be cooked and soften.
After adding in the marinated chicken, stir fry until the outer layer of the chicken is cooked before adding water. This will ensure the chicken will be well coated with the marinade and not “wash off” by the liquid.
Add the noodle, spring onions, jjimdak sauce and water last and cook for the last 10 mins until noodle become translucent, potato and carrot soften. And it done! Viola~
You can use any Korean Sweet Potato Noodles and can be easily found in any supermarket
Finish the dish with sesame oil drizzled over. 2 tablespoons of sesame oil might seem a lot but trust me, it’s definitely worth it. With these sesame oil, you will get the famous Andong Jjimdak taste! You can also top with toasted white sesame seeds.
Or you can sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and melt it in microwave oven for 1 to 2 mins (depending on the voltage of your oven – check every 30 secs) or just blow torch over the cheese to melt it
- 300g boneless chicken leg (dice into bite size - about 1 inch by 1 inch)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sugar (Omit if using caramelised Dark Soy Sauce which is slightly sweetened)
- 60g korean sweet potato noodle (soaked in water)
- 30g spring onions (about 2 stalks - cut into 2 inches in length)
- 100g potato (about 1 medium potato - slice into 1 cm in thickness)
- 70g carrot (abt. 1 medium carrot - slice into 1 cm in thickness)
- 100g sliced onion (about 1 big onion)
- 150g cabbage (cut into 1 inch in width)
- 2 cm ginger (Slice thinly)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 pieces dried chilies
- 2 pieces small red chili - chili padi (slice for extra heat)
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 300ml water
- ½ tablespoon cornflour
- ½ tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- spring onions (1 cm in length)/ thinly sliced leek
- 80g Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Add the ingredients for marination of chicken in a mixing bowl.
- Mix until combine and marinate for at least an hour, best overnight
- Combine the sauces for the jjimdak sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat.
- Add in minced garlic, onions, dried chili and ginger. Saute until fragrance and onions soften.
- Add in carrot, potatoes, cabbage and continue to stir fry for another 3 minutes
- Add in marinated chicken and continue to stir fry until the outer layer of the chicken is cooked.
- Add in drained sweet potato noodles, spring onions, 300 ml of water and jjimdak sauce.
- Bring to boil under medium high heat
- Lower the heat to medium heat and continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce slightly thicken, noodles translucent, carrot & potatoes soften. Cover the pan with a lid to prevent excessive evaporation of the water.
- In a separate bowl, mix the corn flour and water.
- Slowly add in the corn flour mixture until the gravy reaches your desired consistency. The gravy for this dish will not be too thick.
- Remove the pot of goodness from the heat and serve in on a big plate.
- {Optional} Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and blow torch the cheese to allow it to melt.
- Drizzle with sesame oil and top with chopped spring onions/leek before serving.
- Serve with bowls of piping hot rice