We are huge Donal Skehan fans, so when we saw this Gochujang recipe we had to try & share!
Serves 4 | 60 Mins
Ingredients:
- 1 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
- 75g fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 & ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- Neutral oil, for brushing
- For the meatball glaze:
- 150g gochujang – Korean chilli paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 100ml water
For the cheats kimchi:
- 1 Chinese cabbage
- 50gs sea salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
To serve:
- Rice, cooked
- Spring onions, finely sliced
- Sesame seeds
- Coriander leaves
Method
- Begin by making the cheats kimchi. Slice the cabbage into strips and boil the kettle. Pour the freshly boiled water into a large bowl and add the salt, stirring to dissolve then leave to cool for 10 minutes. Add the sliced cabbage to the bowl of salted water and set aside for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the kimchi paste by blending the garlic, ginger, chilli sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce and sugar together in a blender until smooth.
- Rinse the cabbage under cold water then drain and dry thoroughly. Transfer to a large bowl and toss through the paste, along with the spring onions. Serve straight away or pack into a large jar, seal and leave to ferment at room temperature for a few hours, then transfer to the fridge to chill. This will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week but is best eaten within a few days.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/450°F/Gas Mark 5. Grate the ginger into a small bowl with a fine grater, then, using your fingers, roughly squeeze the pulp from the juice. Set the juice aside for use later.
- Put the ginger pulp into a food processor along with the chicken and pulse until finely chopped. Scrape into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, spring onions, sesame oil, salt and white pepper. Mix with clean hands until everything is evenly distributed then shape into 20 meatballs, and put onto a lined baking tray. Brush the meatballs with a little oil and bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by placing the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, water, and reserved ginger juice into a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook for a few minutes, until thickened and glossy.
- Transfer the cooked meatballs to the pan with the glaze and stir to coat in the sauce. Allow the meatballs to warm through completely in the sauce then serve in bowls with the cheat kimchi, rice, sliced spring onions, and sesame seeds. Garnish with a few sprigs of coriander.
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