Andong Jjimdak

Ingredients

• 1.3kg chicken, jointed into 12 pieces
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 1 onion
• 100g sweet potato glass noodles (dangmyeon)
• 8 dried red chillies
• 4 spring onions
• 120ml soy sauce
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rice syrup or corn syrup
• 3 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 700ml water or chicken stock
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Before you cook

• Soak the glass noodles in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain them.
• Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks, then leave them in cold water so they do not discolour.
• Cut the carrot into thick diagonal slices and the onion into six wedges.
• Snip the dried chillies in half and shake out most of the seeds.
• Cut the spring onions into 5cm lengths.
• Whisk the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice syrup, rice wine, garlic, ginger and black pepper together with the water to make the braising liquid.

Steps

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and drop in the chicken pieces for 3 minutes.
2. Drain the chicken and rinse each piece under running water to wash away the scum, which keeps the finished sauce clean and glossy.
3. Put the rinsed chicken into a wide heavy pot and pour over the braising liquid.
4. Bring it to the boil over high heat, then lower it to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
5. Add the drained potato, the carrot and the dried chillies.
6. Simmer for a further 15 minutes, turning the chicken pieces once so they colour evenly.
7. Add the onion wedges and cook for 5 minutes more.
8. Test a piece of potato with a skewer, which should slide in with no resistance.
9. Check the sauce, which should have reduced to about a third of the way up the chicken and thickened enough to coat a spoon.
10. Stir in the soaked glass noodles and cook for 4 minutes, pushing them under the sauce so they drink it up and turn dark.
11. Add the spring onions and the sesame oil and turn off the heat.
12. Tip everything into a wide shallow bowl, scatter over the sesame seeds and serve with rice for mopping up the sauce.