Another Sandwich Part XXIVI

I completely just made up that number. But it's another sandwich.

So, I got a little maudlin last week.  And I also got a little fussyfancy.  This week is sort of that opposite. I mean maybe it’s a little fussy, but on the fancy to “can I get another roll of paper towels” spectrum , this one is firmly in the “probably should have bought that big package of cheap towels at Costco” category.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ve already heard me go on at great length about Korean cuisine, ingredients, traditions... etc.  In fact, if you’re a paid subscriber/supporter, you got an additional newsletter a couple weeks back with a long explanation of that … and a recipe for an absurd, and absurdly good modern Korean dish that’s become a regular in our household.

After last week’s maudlin fussiness and having been left to my own devices for the weekend, I broke out a few of my favorite ingredients – cucumbers, gochujang (an amazing not-to-spicy even when it’s spicy fermented pepper paste), chicken, coleslaw … and threw together what might be sort of the mother of all fried chicken sandwiches.

Spicy crispy creamy crunchy toasty sweet sour salty (I sound like a fast-food ad!) … it’s a sandwich, but It’s a meal in itself.  I mean, I’ve included some pickles on the side because… well, we’re supposed to eat vegetables.

TBKFCS: The Big Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich

This sandwich almost explains itself – that is, if you know some of those bits and pieces.  This isn’t Korean fried Chicken in its purest form – not for the least because I’m not Korean, and not schooled in the long traditions and techniques of that amazing and varied cuisine.  It does however borrow heavily from those traditions.  Korean Fried Chicken (KFC – get it?) uses a thin batter heavy on – or sometimes entirely made of – potato starch.  This yields an incredibly crisp crust unlike anything you’ll find in any of Americas varied fried chicken traditions.  That super crisp crust – often almost unseasoned by itself – is the perfect palate for flavorful sticky delicious sauces like the Ginger Ale Gochujang sauce you’ll find below. It stays crisp even when sauced – no more soggy sandwich.

And that sauce.  In the past few years Gochujang has caught on in restaurants and even home cooking all over the states.  Versions of it – including some incredibly sub par squeeze bottle version (often labeled “sauce”) are available in stores everywhere.  I use readily available – but traditional – paste version that are sold in tubs. It’s sweet, spicy and funky – though not in the chase the kids form the room manner that some of my other favorite fermented sauces (fish sauce? Collatura? Shrimp paste?) are funky.

When it’s blended with vinegar, sugar, and some aromatics, it’s an amazing sauce – especially for rich fried foods like a crispy fried chicken breast.

Finally – the accompaniments.   I can be all fancy and frenchish and snobby and whatever, but there’s very little that can top an old-fashioned egg rich soft squishy potato roll hamburger bun for a sandwich.  I fried it in Doenjang butter – just butter and Korean fermented soybean paste just for that extra umami kick. I can try making them, but you’re gonna have better luck with the ones you’ll get from the grocery.  Then there’s the slaw. You want that creamy crunchy sweet balance to that salty crispy chicken … so?  Slaw. Nature’s intended use for the cabbage.  And the carrot, probably.

This isn’t a five-napkin sandwich – whoever coined that term was spot on, but not nearly ambitious enough.  Go for the roll. Paper towels, maybe even some wet wipes, because it’s sticky and messy and … happiness. It’s happiness. Deep fried sweet sour salt spicy stick dipped slaw topped unctuous umami soft roll happiness.  Because why not. We all deserve a little happiness.

4 potato rolls
2 large or 4 small chicken breasts
1 cup napa kimchi with brine
1 ½ cups AP flour
½ cup potato or corn starch
4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 recipe Doenjang Butter (below)
1 recipe Sweet Sesame Slaw (below)
1 recipe Ginger Ale Gochujang Sauce (below)
1 recipe quick spicy ginger pickles (opt -below)

Add 2 tsp salt, the napa kimchi, and the brine to the container of a high-speed blender.

Process until smooth.

Trim, and if necessary, gently pound the chicken breasts to that they’re of even thickness (this will help with the cooking process.)

Place the chicken and the kimchi puree in a large zip top plastic bag, pressing out at much air as possible.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Combine the AP flour, corn or potato starch, the white pepper, the remaining kosher salt, garlic powder, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl, and whisk to combine.

Immediately before breading, sprinkle 2 tsp of cold water (or vodka if ya want) over the breading mixture and whisk vigorously – this will create some texture in the final breading.

Working one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the kimchi brine and dip into the breading mixture, pressing the breading into the chicken to ensure even coverage.

Arrange the chicken pieces on a sheet pan lined with a rack and refrigerate 30 minutes to 2 hours to allow the breading to hydrate.

Prepare a fryer, a Dutch oven, or other suitable thick pan with neutral oil and heat to 325°F.

Fry the chicken breasts, working in batches if necessary, until crisp and brown, and the internal temperature has reached 160°F.

Allow the breasts to drain on a rack, then dip in or brush on Ginger Ale Gochujang Sauce to coat.

Grill or toast the potato rolls with Doenjang butter.

Add the fried breasts to the bottom rolls, top with sweet sesame slaw, and top with the tom bun.

Serve hot.

Note:  You can choose to put the pickles on the sandwich if you want – and if you do, you may want to cut them slightly thinner.  I did not put them on the sandwich because apparently if I eat them, I’ll have to use my brand new fancy don’t eat things that will kill me inhaler or worse, the handy dandy thigh stabber.

Note two: I had one pickle. I didn’t die.

Quick Spicy Ginger Pickles

Oh look. Drew’s making some sort of cucumber dish again. Yup. I’m predictable in that way – but in this case these are just about the perfect accompaniment to this monstrosity of a sandwich. Slightly spicy, slightly sweet, slightly sour, and easy to make quickly.    As I said above, you can put them on the sandwich if you want, or serve them on the side, or even just snack on them in the middle of the afternoon for no reason other than that they’re there.

4 Persian cucumbers
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp finely minced ginger
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1 tsp red pepper flake

Trim the ends from the cucumbers and cut into ½ inch rounds.

Toss the cucumber pieces with sugar and salt, and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Drain any liquid, then add the vinegar, 2 tbsp of water, ginger, garlic, and pepper flake.

Transfer to a tightly covered container and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Serve chilled.

Doenjang Butter

Doenjang is a salty, umami loaded paste made from fermented soybeans.  Depending on your point of view, it’s either a byproduct of making a specific Korean style soy sauce, or the soy sauce is a byproduct of making Doenjang.  It’s rich, incredibly flavorful, and used as the seasoning base for all sorts of soups, stews, and sauces. You can find it in some better groceries, online, or at Korean markets – which you should shop at just because they’re incredibly awesome.

Do you really need to make a compound butter with an incredibly flavorful ingredient in order to just … grill a burger bun? 

No. You don’t.

Is it worth it? 

Yes. Yes it is.

4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp Doenjang

Gently melt the butter.

Whisk in the Doenjang.

Allow to rest 5 minutes in a warm place.

Strain through a medium strainer.

Discard solids.

Cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally to keep doenjang suspended.

Ginger Ale Gochujang Sauce

The first time I made this sauce, I was stupid and clumsy and had thrown sugar and gochujang and garlic powder in a dry hot pan and … well, I was about to burn it.

I dumped some of the ginger ale I’d been drinking into the pan.  Turns out that it’s good.  So … accidental weird sort of awesome soda pop hot sauce. That’s it. There ya go.

8 oz ginger ale
2 tbsp Gochujang
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp wildflower honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp MSG of ½ tsp ground dried shitake powder (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.

Bring to a low simmer and whisk until combined.

Reduce until just barely thickened.

Cool to room temperature before using.

Sweet Sesame Slaw

This isn’t that “Asian Slaw” that was on so many menus in the last two decades.  First of all, I’m not serving it with tuna tataki or seared tuna, or lightly grilled tuna.  Or salmon cooked any of those same ways.  Secondly, this one is loaded with mayonnaise.  Why?  Well, mostly because I like mayonnaise, but also because the sweet and creamy dressing on this slaw is a great balance to the spicy sauce and the hot crispy chicken it’s meant to accompany.    And of course, we all know that making gonzo fried chicken sandwiches is all about balance, right?

Pretty sure mayo, cabbage, fried chicken, sweat spicy sauce,  and bread isn’t what they mean when they say “Part of a balanced diet” … but I’m choosing to interpret that tin my own way.

2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
2 green onions
¼ cup loosely packed finely julienned carrot
3 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tbsp fresh ground black pepper

Trim, and very finely slice the onions.

Toss the cabbage and carrots with the sugar and salt.

Allow to rest 15 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate 2 hours before use.