I hate deep frying. Part of it is the danger of giving myself a 10th degree burn, part of it is fear of burning down my house, but most of it is the waste. Maybe it’s the old country (han) in me but the thought of wasting cups of oil just to be used as a single use cooking medium pains me. I know, it’s America, and I know veggie oil is cheaper than beer here, but whenever I drain that burnt oil into the trash I’m shrouded in my (han)-fueled shame. 

Thankfully my ancestors have carried me to a time where I can pay $5 for someone else to fry 20 pieces of delicious chicken pulp for me, old-country-sorrow-free.

This recipe is a version of Kkanpunggi, a popular Korean-Chinese Cuisine dish (yes, that’s a thing), that mixes fried chicken in a sweet, tangy sauce typically served with black bean noodles. You can add a packet of sweet-and-sour into this recipe’s sauce to give it that extra Mickey D’s flair.

INGREDIENTS:

- 20 pcs chicken nuggies

- 1/2 medium carrot 

- 2 shiso peppers

- 1 scallion 

- 2 tbs soy sauce

- 2 tbs rice vinegar

- 1 tbs oyster sauce

- 2 tbs sugar

- 3 tbs mirin 

- 1 tsp ginger powder

- black pepper 

- 1 tbs sesame seed oil 

- 3 tbs garlic 

- 3 tbs water + 2 tbs corn starch or flour 

- 1 cup dried red peppers

RECIPE:

1. Dice carrot and peppers and scallions into itty bitty pieces

2. Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger Powder, black pepper, 1 tbs sesame seed oil.  

3. Make water/corn starch slurry, mix into sauce 

4. Heat up 2 tbs oil, fry garlic, veggies, peppers, dried peppers and scallions. Pour in sauce. 

5. Add chicken nuggets. Mix until evenly coated.

6. Serve with black bean noodles and picked daikon radish. 

Gloria Lee is a Korean New Yorker making and sharing dishes she grew up eating and continues to eat. Find her on TikTok and on Instagram