My School Kitchen – Jjimdak at School (찜닭)

At my wonderful High School in Korea I teach some amazing girls. They are the elite students in their grade and they come to me to practice their english and learn about Western culture. I decided one day to turn the lesson around on them and have them teach me something. Our topic was food. I wanted them to teach me how to make some Korean dish and turn the whole experience into a bit of a cooking show.

We decided the name of the show was going to be “Call me Hungry” and the dish they would teach would be Jjimdak. One of the students got her great grandmothers Jjimdak recipe and they all compiled a script together which they would present and I would film. Here is the wonderful script they wrote about Jjimdak including the recipe.

“Hi and welcome to our show, Call me Hungry.

We are High School students at Seongju Girls High School in South Korea. We would like to take this opportunity to teach you a bit about our amazing country. We have started our own cooking show so that we can introduce our delicious food to foreigners and show them how to make it.

Today on our menu we are going to be making Jjimdak. Jjim in Korean means. Steamed or Braised and Dak means chicken. Jjimdak is a very popular dish which originated in the town of Andong in South Korea. Andong Jjimdak is made with chicken, various vegetables, noodles and a spicy soy based sauce.

Now we are going to introduce the ingredients and equipment needed for preparing this dish.

Firstly you’ll need.

1 whole fresh chicken cut into pieces.

3 Cups of Water

1 Small bag of Cellophane Noodles

2 Potatoes

1 Carrot

1 Onion

1 Green & 1 Red Pepper

And 1 Leek or Green Onion

To make the spicy sauce you’ll need

2 Tablespoons of Gochujang (which is a Korean Spicy Red Pepper Paste)

4 Tablespoons of Thick Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons of Cooking Wine

3 Tablespoons of sugar

And 2 Tablespoons of Minced Garlic

The equipment you will need for this recipe is

A Stove

A Large pan

Plastic bowls

A large spoon

A knife

A cutting board

A cup

A teaspoon

And a tablespoon

Alright so now we have everything together. Let’s get cooking!!.

The first thing we will do is take the chicken pieces and put them in a pot filled with water. You will need to bring the water to the boil and boil the chicken for about 10 minutes. This helps remove some of the fat and other things from the chicken. After the 10 minutes drain the chicken and set aside.

Now we can take the cellophane noodles and place them in some hot water so they will be easier to use later.

Time to make the sauce. Take all the sauce ingredients and mix them together in a bowl.

Once the sauce is finished put the chicken back into the pan, add the cut up vegetables, cover it with the sauce as well as 3 cups of water and bring it to the boil.

Cook the chicken and vegetables for about 15 minutes then add the noodles. Once the noodles are cooked your Jjimdak is ready to be eaten. Decorate it with some more peppers and some sesame seeds.

Join us again next time for some more Korean cooking tips and ideas.

The END”

This experience was such fun and I really had a great time learning about Jjimdak and how to prepare it. Some of my teachers also recommended to me to put in some Soju or even Coke to tenderize the Chicken even more. I then made my own at home and it ended up being good but not that great. I think the enthusiasm and dedication from my girls made their Jjimdak stand out above all.

My AMAZING Girls

My Korean Kitchen – Kimchi Jjigae – Kimchi Stew (김치 찌개)

Kimchi Jjigae was one of the first soups/stews I was ever introduced to. Even before I arrived in Korea. I organised two of my best friends to join me on a little Korean adventure to a Korean restaurant in Johannesburg to sample the cuisine. My friends were just as intrigued as I was so we ended up ordering some Bibimbap, Kimchi Jjigae and Chicken Fried Rice.

The Kimchi Jjigae arrived in this gorgeous bubbling black pot bursting with aroma. I could feel my nose hairs singe as the chilli wafted across the table. I didn’t expect it at all. My friend Nick did his best to finish it and he even likes spicy food. I took one spoonful and my head almost exploded. It was such an intense sour spicy fishy combination. I couldn’t handle it so I continued ravaging through my Bibimbap.

Nick and his Kimchi Jjigae

After I had arrived in Korea I was introduced once again to the spicy pot of hell. This time however I managed to handle the heat and after a few months my taste buds started changing and I could handle the spiciness like never before. Add more Hot pepper Flakes please!!

Once I started teaching myself how to make Korean food I just knew that this Jjigae had to be on the menu. So here it is. It was also made with my fresh homemade kimchi.

Ingredients

100g Sliced Pork (Pork Belly)

1 cup Homemade Kimchi

1/4 cup Kimchi juice (from same container)

2 Tbs Hot Pepper Flakes (depending on how spicy u want it)

1 Tbs Gochujang (Korea Red Pepper Paste)

1/2 Onion (chopped)

2 Spring Onions

1/2 Square of Tofu

1 Tbs Sesame Oil

2 Cups Water

1. Fry Kimchi, Onions and Pork in a pot with some oil. Add Kimchi Juice and cook for 2 minutes.

2. Add Hot Pepper Paste and Hot Pepper Flakes and mix together then add water.

3. Boil covered for 10 minutes and then turn down to a light simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Chop the Tofu into small squares, add to the soup and boil it for 5 minutes.

5. Add a drizzle of Sesame Oil and serve.

It’s traditional in Korea to have your Jjigae with a steaming bowl of rice and I definitely recommend it. It also helps cut through the sting of the chilli. You can also omit the pork for a vegetarian option and some people even add tuna.

Homemade Kimchi Jjigae with Homemade Kimchi