I blame K-dramas. Striding towards the kitchen of Seoul Yummy, I’m half-expecting to meet a grumpy ajumma waving me off with her ladle.
Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Standing at the entrance is Chef Lisa, a pleasant young lady with porcelain skin and an infectious enthusiasm.
She quickly gets me curious about the dish: “Andong Jjimdak is South Korea’s ‘chicken rice’. It’s everywhere, and everyone loves it.”
As she speaks, Chef Lisa is laying out a myriad of ingredients on the kitchen table: Zucchinis, carrots, potatoes, glass noodles, octopus, and a whole chicken. I’m in for a treat.
“I first tried Andong Jjimdak when I was 16,” Chef Lisa says as she makes quick work of the vegetables. “My family visited a new city, and my dad told me to try this really good chicken dish. My dad was right. It was really good.” I stifle a smile as Chef Lisa’s eyes light up.
She returns her attention to cutting up the chicken, but continues sharing: “Without knowing it, I’d tried Andong Jjimdak right where it started: The city of Andong.”
Putting aside the bite-sized chicken chunks, Chef Lisa quickly fries the diced zucchinis, carrots and potatoes.
I nod, remembering what I read about Andong. Nestled in the southern part of South Korea, Andong’s cuisine is less spicy due to its warmer temperatures.
Chef Lisa puts minced garlic and dried chilli in a heated pan. As the flavours culminate, Chef Lisa adds in the chicken cubes and chopped octopus. The pan sizzles in excitement.
But does Chef Lisa’s Andong Jjimdak taste like the one back in Andong?
The busy chef nods proudly. She holds up a saucer, filled with a thick crimson sauce. To preserve the authenticity of Andong Jjimdak, this special barbeque sauce is added to the dish. “It’s a key ingredient, and we want to keep the formula a secret. That’s why we only make it at our central kitchen.”
The fried vegetables are added to the mix, before Chef Lisa pours in the special sauce, bibimbab sauce and water. The lid goes over the pan as Chef Lisa prepares a pot and stove for serving.
“You’ll understand why I started preparing Andong Jjimdak at home, after our trip to Andong,” Chef Lisa remarks. “It’s just so good!”
Well, I’m about to find out for myself. As Chef Lisa completes the dish with spring onion and glass noodles, I ready the bowls and utensils.
Soon, a group of us are seated around a bubbling pot of Andong Jjimdak. What a heartwarming experience this would be, if we were catering it for a meal with loved ones.
This is everything Chef Lisa had told me about, and more.
“Wah, so shiok!” someone comments, and we laugh heartily. Just like a happy family in the K-dramas.