Ingredients
| 2 chicken legs, separated into thigh and drums | |
| 1 egg white | |
| 1 cup flour | |
| oil for frying (approximately 700ml) | |
| FOR THE MARINADE | |
| 1½ tablespoons gochujang (fermented Korean chilli paste) | |
| ½ teaspoon ground white pepper | |
| ½ tablespoon salt | |
| 1 teaspoon raw sugar | |
| 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes | |
| ½ teaspoon ground black pepper | |
| 1 tablespoon paprika | |
| 1 tablespoon onion powder | |
| 1 clove garlic, minced | |
| 1 tablespoon melted butter | |
| ½ tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar |
Instructions
| 1. | Measure all the marinade ingredients into a bowl and whisk together to make a semi-thick smooth paste. |
| 2. | Place the chicken legs into another medium-sized bowl, pour over the marinade and massage it in like you love it. |
| 3. | The next stage to me isn’t optional, but we all have time limits some days. Leave the chicken to marinade for 4-6 hours. |
| 4. | However, if you are time starved you can proceed to the next stage, but you’ll be missing out on the full glory. |
| 5. | Whisk the egg white to soft peaks. |
| 6. | Fold it thoroughly through the marinated chicken. |
| 7. | Next up, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour. |
| 8. | Avoid the temptation to shake off the excess – we actually want excess flour. |
| 9. | Here comes the trick: place a bamboo steamer basket on top of your tallest pot, and only fill the pot with 4-5 centimetres of water. |
| 10. | We want the chicken to cook, but at a good distance from the water. |
| 11. | The goal is to swell the flour protein, but avoid it becoming waterlogged. |
| 12. | Cook the chicken in the steamer with the lid slightly ajar for 20-25 minutes. |
| 13. | Check the juices around the joint are clear. |
| 14. | Remove from the steam and really separate out the pieces and allow the excess steam to dissipate. |
| 15. | The longer you leave it to cool at this stage, the better it will be. |
| 16. | It will look kinda weird at this stage... have faith. |
| 17. | In a heavy-based pot heat the oil to 170°C (a piece of bread should fry golden in 2-3 seconds when ready). |
| 18. | Ease in two chicken pieces at a time. |
| 19. | The chicken is already cooked, so we have the luxury of simply frying to our desired crispiness – 3-4 minutes will be a respectable crispiness, after 5 minutes it will be darker in colour and becoming crunchy. The choice is up to you. |
| 20. | After 6+ minutes you’ll have a level of crispy that can cut your gums. |
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