Genevieve Taylor Korean-Style chicken skewers with sticky ginger and garlic rice

Genevieve Taylor Korean-Style chicken skewers with sticky ginger and garlic rice

  • Cook Time30 min
  • Yield4 Servings

Ingredients

For the Kebabs

  • MAKES 8 KEBABS, SERVING 4–6
  • Ingredients
  • 650–700g (1lb 7oz–1lb 9oz) chicken thigh fillets, diced into 2cm/1¼in cubes
  • a bunch of spring onions (scallions), cut into 2cm (¾in) lengths
  • For the marinade
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • a thumb-size piece of ginger, grated
  • 1–2 tsp gochugaru chilli flakes, to taste

For the Rice

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • a thumb-size piece of ginger, grated
  • 500g (2½ cups) sushi rice
  • 750ml (3¼ cups) cold water

Method

Preparing the Kebabs

1

I love gochugaru chilli, a Korean spice found in Asian shops or online, as it adds a citrusy warmth but not masses of heat, making it a good chilli for introducing kids to a bit of spice. The sticky rice is made with sushi rice, which is pretty easy to find in large supermarkets or Asian shops. If you can’t get it, you can substitute Arborio risotto rice or even short-grain pudding rice, but rinse them well under cold water first – these types of rice have a higher starch content, which is perfect for risotto or rice pudding but less so for this dish.

Method

2

Begin by marinating the chicken – do this a few hours or even the day before you want to eat. Put the chicken into a bowl and stir through the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger and gochugaru chilli. Alternatively, put everything into a food bag and squish about well to mix. Marinate in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

3

Thread the meat on to kebab skewers, adding a few pieces of spring onion widthways as you go. Set aside while you begin the rice.

4

Set up a charcoal chimney starter 3/4 full with lumpwood charcoal, and start it going with a sheet of lit crumpled newspaper underneath (or use parrafin-free fire lighters). Wait 10-15 minutes until the BBQ is fired up to a hot grilling temperature of about 280-300c with a deep bed of glowing embers.

5

Take a large deep frying pan, or an even a heavy-bottomed small roasting tin, add the onion, sesame oil, garlic and ginger and season with salt and pepper

6

Fry over the coals for about 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent catching, until the mixture is softened and starting to caramelize. Add the rice and water to the pan, stirring well. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or a piece of foil. Continue to cook indirect for 20 minutes.

7

Grill the kebabs directly for about 15-20 minutes, the grill should be hot 280–300°C (535–570°F). Turn the kebabs frequently.

8

Serve the kebabs on top of the rice.

The Ultimate Wood-Fired Oven Cookbook by Genevieve Taylor (Quadrille, £15) Photography ©Jason Ingram

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Korean-Style Chicken Skewers

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