New Year, New Cuisine

In the spirit of 2006, feeling a bit more adventurous than usual, I ransacked my food cabinet and found this:

It's the Korean Hot Pepper Paste, a.k.a Gochujang in korean. This was adapted from a website on Gochujang:

It is a unique Korean food boasting of an excellent harmony in nutrition, taste, and color. Its savory taste and rich protein come from soybeans, the primary ingredient, and its sweet taste comes from carbohydrates contained in glutinous rice, ordinary rice, or barley, which are also major ingredients. Powdered hot pepper gives it a hot taste and red color, and its salty taste comes from soybean sauce and salt. While western dressings are sometimes added to vegetables, Korean hot pepper paste is used more widely (in stews and sauces, as well as in vegetables).

Sounds healthy LOL, perfect for a New Year dish. Hence I decided to try out this easy recipe called "Dak Chochu Jang Boekum" (Chicken in Hot Pepper Sauce), found from an online website.

All you need is:

• 2 pounds chicken parts, loose skin and fat discarded
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, freshly chopped
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 5 tablespoon gochu jang, hot fermentedchili paste
• 2 tablespoons Korean sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup of water

Instructions:

1. Cut the chicken into 3-inch pieces. Divide the wings.
2. Mix the parts with the sugar and marinate for 1 hour or more (the sugar is a tenderizer).
3. Mix together all the other seasonings: garlic, scallion, ginger, soy sauce, gochu jang, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Mix well, add to the chicken, and marinate for another hour.
4. Pour the 1/2 cup of water into a pan and bring to a boil.
5. Add the chicken and marinade and simmer, covered, over low heat for about 1/2 hour, which is enough to cook the chicken and evaporate nearly all the liquid.
6. Stir the mixture once or twice during this process. Serve warm with rice, salads and kimchi.

It's THAT easy! I was a bit dubious and doubtful of its outcome, but rest assured, its tried and tested and its YUMMY! :)

Here are some pics I took during the preparation:

This...

plus this ...

equals ...

Finally...

It goes really well with noodles too for that spicy kick! Happy 2006 everyone, may the new year bring more joy and happiness to all! =)