Korean Chicken And Potato Stew.

Posted on July 21, 2016 by kpopjacketlady

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Even though it is hot here in Texas at this time of year, that is no excuse to not to eat hot and spicy food. Think of all the hot climate countries that specialize in heat and spice such as India, Thailand, Mexico, Korea, to name a few. Some Asian countries even recommend eating spicy food, the hotter the better, during the summer months as it is said to help rejuvenate, restore energy, and get rid of the lazy stupor that the summer heat can bring to many of us. This recipe can be as mild, or as spicy, as you need to overcome the summer blahs.

I made this recipe using chicken breasts, but using dark meat such as chicken thighs will give it a bit more flavor. Also this is the basic recipe so if you want to add some more vegetables, or increase the heat by adding more Korean hot pepper paste go for it.

Rinse 2 medium chicken breasts in cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Trim any fat, gristle etc from the breast and discard. Cut into decent sized pieces. You need to be able to put a piece in your mouth, but if is too small you lose some of the flavor.

Gather together ingredients. Finely chop 4 medium garlic cloves, or put through garlic press. Peel and chop 3 medium potatoes and 2 carrots. Place chopped potatoes and carrots in a bowl of cold water.

Roughly chop 1 medium onion, put to one side. Mix together 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup of sherry, or mirin, 2 tsp minced ginger, (I used it from a jar but if you have it, fresh is much better.) 1 tsp ground black pepper, 3-4 tbsp honey, 1 -2 tsp Korean red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp Korean red pepper paste. (Or more to personal taste.)

Coat bottom of pot with a high heat oil such as canola. Put burner on medium to high. When pot and oil are hot carefully add chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Basically you want to seal each side of the meat to keep the flavor inside so the chicken pieces should look white not pink. Add chopped onion, garlic, and ginger, stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent meat from sticking to bottom of pot. Add the liquid ingredients. Stir. Cook for 5 minutes.

Drain water from potatoes and carrots and place them in pot, gently stir together. Place lid on pot and cook on low to medium for 15 minutes. Check occasionally to stir and top up liquid with a little water if necessary.

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Rinse 5-10 Shiitake mushrooms, cut into pieces and add to pot, stirring them in gently. Replace lid and cook everything together for a further 5 minutes.

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