Spicy Gochu Chicken Salad with Candied Ginger.

I feel this website has gone high brow and that's not all I'm about. Most days, when I return from a 12h stint in the law school, I want something homey. A classic that comforts you. Something that reminds you of the faint lingering musk of your parents' kitchen. That being said, I'm not fond of all American classics - chicken salad, for example, is not the tits. The gloopiness - the tongue-coating bloat of mayonnaise makes me shiver, and not in a good way. Smooth creaminess has its place in my heart, but I try my best to keep it out of my arteries (though I often fail).

I propose a new way to prepare chicken salad: Korean style. I grew up eating spicy pork with gochujang, but I honestly prefer chicken. Chicken is cheap as chips (I don't know why all this Brit slang is making it into this post), readily available (but please buy free range/air chilled. If you disagree I challenge you to drink a bottle of wine then watch the middle scene of Baraka. Near vomit inducing as far as I'm concerned.), and fast (That's right another parenthetical, just for the hell of it.). It's also idiot proof. I grew up cooking and eating the pork version, but it still confounds me. The balance of salty sweet pork is a hard road to forge. If you're a beginner, go for the chicken. The pork version also requires a LOT of sugar which is generally omitted from the poultry version. If you or yours have never tried Korean food, or have only had bulgogi/kalbi (the beef bbq), give this a go - you know, test your horizons. It's not nearly as scary as you'd think.

Spicy Gochu Chicken Salad with Candied Ginger.
(measurements approximated - sorry I'm terrible at measuring things)

ingredients
1T veg/canola/peanut/neutral oil
2 lbs chicken breast, thighs, or tenders cut into 1" pieces, fat and skin removed
1t ginger, finely minced (optional)
1T gochujang (korean chili paste, see below)
1T gochu flakes (again, see below)
1T sugar
1T minced garlic
2T soy sauce
1T mirin
1T sake
1/2 T sesame oil

Gochu - I even have a hard time finding it. You might be able to substitute a mixture of ground red pepper flakes and chili powder, though.

Gochujang paste - Easily purchased from any Asian grocer

Here's the easy part: Mix everything but the neutral oil together. Let it sit for an hour. Or for however long you have - an hour, a day, 30 minutes. It's not a very fussy dish.


In the mean time, you can cut up you favorite salad fixin's. Below I've included julienned Belgian endive and carrot (on a mandoline for ease), tomato, romaine, blanched asparagus, green onion, and toasted peanuts.

Why I need a sous chef. Any volunteers?

When you get all your mis together, it's time to saute the chicken. I'd recommend a non-stick pan, though a grill would also work. The marinade is less than forgiving on non-stick surfaces, however, so chef beware. Heat the tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium high to high heat. When it's almost smoking, throw in your chicken and sear on all sides. This should take a matter of minutes (3-5m max). When it's cooked through, remove and toss with the other salad ingredients. Want to know the secret ingredient to this salad? I'm telling you anyway: Very thinly sliced crystallized ginger. The mild heat and chewy sweetness of ginger is the perfect counterpoint to chili's warm undertones and garlic's slap-Dracula-in-the-face potency.

I thought this was actually too much ginger when I was making the salad, but ended up having to chop more.

Serve with nuoc mam or whatever suitable dressing you have around (put that hidden valley away, you pleb).