Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Korean fried chicken: Kenji vs. Maangchi (potato vs. corn) Cooking

What is your preferred method/recipe to make Korean fried chicken?

Maangchi's simple recipe fries the chicken twice and doesn't use batter–only a light dusting of potato starch.

The Serious Eats recipe is more complicated: chicken is dredged in corn starch/baking powder, rested, coated in corn starch/flour/vodka then fried once. This is "best" recipe developed after multiple rounds of testing, but it appears that no potato starch was used in any of their tests. Potato starch is quite common in Asian cooking and very different from corn starch.

Have you tried either method? Which do you prefer?

Maangchi recipe:

Steps:Mix chicken with seasonings and cover in starch.Fry in hot oil for 7 to 8 minutes.Shake off, let sit, then fry for another 12 to 15 minutes.Coat in seasoning sauce.Sprinkle sesame seeds over top and serve immediately. Ingredients3½ pounds chicken wings (about 1.6 kg), washed and drained½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ground black pepper1 teaspoon minced ginger2/3 cup potato starch or corn starch⅓ cup peanuts (optional)4 cloves garlic, minced3 to 4 large dried red chili peppers, seeded, cut crosswise into ⅓ inch pieces (optional)¼ cup soy sauce½ cup rice syrup or corn syrup1 tablespoon white vinegar1 tablespoon mustard (optional)1 tablespoon brown sugar1 tablespoon sesame seedsGrapeseed oil (or vegetable oil, peanut oil)

Kenji recipe:

INGREDIENTSKosher salt3/4 cups corn starch1 teaspoon baking powder2 pounds chicken wings (about 12 whole wings)2 quarts peanut oil or vegetable shortening1/2 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup cold water1/2 cup vodka1 recipe Sweet Soy Sauce or Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce

Combine 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder in a large bowl and whisk until homogenous. Add chicken wings and toss until every surface is coated. Transfer wings to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, shaking vigorously as you go to get rid if excess coating. Transfer to refrigerator and let rest, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. When ready to fry, preheat oil to 350°F in a large wok, Dutch oven, or deep fryer. Combine remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, flour, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk until homogenous. Add water and vodka and whisk until a smooth batter is formed, adding up to 2 tablespoons additional water if batter is too thick. It should have the consistency of thin paint and fall off of the whisk in thin ribbons that instantly disappear as they hit the surface of the batter in the bowl. Add half of the wings to the batter. Working one at a time, lift one wing and allow excess batter to drip off, using your finger to get rid of any large pockets or slicks of batter. Carefully lower wing into hot oil. Repeat with remaining wings in first batch. Fry, using a metal spider or slotted spatula to rotate and agitate wings as they cook until evenly golden brown and crisp all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season immediately with salt. Keep warm while you fry the remaining wings. Serve plain, or toss with Sweet Soy Sauce For Korean Fried Chicken or Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce For Korean Fried Chicken (or serve sauce on side).



Submitted April 04, 2017 at 01:45AM by halfsmoke http://ift.tt/2nU97E5 Cooking

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