~ Time: 1-1.5 hours ~ Level: medium ~ Budget: medium.
To make almost any Korean dish, you need "gochujang", which is a condiment that is a staple in Korean cuisine. It is a fermented chili paste made from red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. The paste is then aged for several months to develop its rich, complex flavor. Gochujang is known for its unique combination of sweetness, spiciness, and umami. It can be found in most asian grocery stores or online.
This recipe combines the sweet, spicy gochujang sauce with fried chicken, refreshing cucumber and a fluffy bao, to create an amazing explosion of flavours with each bite. It is by far my favourite bao bun filling, and it is even better with home made bao buns.
For a veggie bao filling, click here.
Korean Fried Chicken Bao Buns
Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine
1 egg white
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
200g all purpose flour
vegetable oil (for frying)
125 ml soy sauce
4 tbsp gochujang
80g light brown sugar
3 tbsp honey
4 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cucumber
2 stalks spring onion
sesame seeds
bao buns (store bought or home made)
Method
Slice up the chicken in pieces of around 2 cm. In a medium sized bowl, combine the soy sauce, white wine, egg white, salt and pepper. Immerse the chicken in this mixture and let it marinate for about 30-60 minutes.
Weigh the flour into a large bowl and add the chicken and its marinade on top. Combine until all the flour is sticking to the chicken pieces. It might look like a lot, but the excessive amount will ensure extra crispiness.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan. When hot, add the chicken to the pan and fry until golden. Cut the biggest piece in half to make sure the chicken is fully cooked inside.
While the chicken is frying, start combining the Korean sauce ingredients in a large bowl; soy sauce, gochujang, brown sugar, honey and crushed garlic. Once the chicken is ready, it can be added to the sauce. Mix well until all the chicken pieces are covered in the sauce.
Steam your bao buns in a bamboo steam basket for about 8-10 minutes. Cut the cucumber into slices and chop the spring onion. Now you can start assembling your bao buns. Start with a few slices of cucumber, then place on top a few pieces of chicken. Make sure there is enough Korean sauce on top. Garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds.
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