Jjimdak, Korean Braised Chicken

📝 Ingredients

• 100 g sweet potato glass noodles (dry weight)
• 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 5 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tbsp light brown sugar (25 g)
• 4 garlic cloves + 15 g fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 500 g potatoes (3 medium, about 170 g each)
• 2 carrots (about 120 g each)
• 1 brown onion (about 150 g)
• 500 ml water
• 2 spring onions
• 1 tsp sesame oil + 1 tsp sesame seeds
• Black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Large mixing bowl
• Bowl
• Fine grater
• Knife and chopping board
• Kitchen tongs

📖 Steps

1. Soak the sweet potato glass noodles in a large bowl of lukewarm water for 30 minutes, until pliable. Meanwhile, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar and the peeled, grated garlic and ginger in a bowl.
2. Cut the chicken thighs into large 4 to 5 cm pieces. Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut them into large 3 cm chunks, and the onion into large wedges: chunky pieces won't fall apart during simmering.
3. Heat the sunflower oil in a casserole dish over high heat. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes, turning, until well coloured on all sides. It doesn't need to be cooked through: it'll finish cooking in the sauce.
4. Pour in the prepared soy sauce mixture and the water, then add the potatoes, carrots and onion. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring once or twice so nothing sticks.
5. Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes over medium-high heat to reduce the sauce by about a third. The potatoes should be tender when pierced with the tip of a knife and the sauce glossy and slightly syrupy.
6. Drain the noodles, cut them in half if they're very long and push them down into the sauce. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, mixing with tongs, until translucent and a deep brown. If they soak up all the sauce too quickly, add a few spoonfuls of water.
7. Off the heat, drizzle with sesame oil, season with pepper and mix. Scatter with sliced spring onions and sesame seeds, then serve straight away in shallow bowls: the noodles keep soaking up the sauce as they sit.