Andong Jjimdak

The story

Andong Jjimdak is a Korean main with a clear sense of place. Jjimdak is a soy-braised chicken dish closely linked with the city of Andong. The modern form became famous through restaurant alleys serving large pans of dark, glossy chicken, vegetables and noodles. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 1000 g bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 400 g potatoescut into large chunks
• 180 g carrotcut into chunks
• 180 g onioncut into wedges
• 120 g Korean sweet potato noodlessoaked 20 minutes
• 100 ml soy sauce
• 35 g brown sugar
• 25 g rice syrup or honey
• 20 g Garlicgrated
• 10 g gingergrated
• 3 piece dried red chillies
• 650 ml water or light chicken stock
• 80 g Spring onionscut into lengths
• 10 ml toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Blanch the chicken pieces in boiling water

   Blanch the chicken pieces in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and rinse away any foam. This keeps the finished braising liquid cleaner while leaving enough fat for richness.

   Tip: Taste the sauce before the final reduction. If already salty, reduce less aggressively and thicken through the noodles instead. Avoid: Adding noodles too early turns them mushy; cutting potatoes small makes them collapse; reducing the sauce before the chicken is tender can make it overly salty.

2. Return the chicken to a wide pot

   Return the chicken to a wide pot with soy sauce, sugar, rice syrup, garlic, ginger, chillies and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

3. Add potatoes, carrot and onion

   Add potatoes, carrot and onion. Continue simmering for 15 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally so exposed pieces remain glazed and the vegetables cook evenly.

4. Drain the soaked glass noodles and add

   Drain the soaked glass noodles and add them to the pot. Simmer another 8–10 minutes, stirring gently so the noodles absorb braising liquid without catching on the base.

5. When the chicken is tender and the

   When the chicken is tender and the potatoes are cooked, raise the heat for 2–3 minutes to reduce the liquid until glossy. Stir in spring onions and sesame oil at the end.

   Look for: glossy

6. Serve in a wide communal bowl, lifting

   Serve in a wide communal bowl, lifting some noodles to the top so they do not disappear under the chicken and vegetables.

   Look for: Chicken pulls easily from the bone, potatoes are tender but intact, noodles are translucent, and the sauce coats rather than floods the ingredients.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.