Perilla Oil Chicken Bibim-Kalguksu Bowl

Method

1. Put the chicken breast, leek and ginger in a 18 cm pot and cover with cold water by about 2 cm. Bring to a boil on high heat, then turn down to low heat, cover and cook at the gentlest simmer for 12 min. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 10 min; this gentle finish keeps the breast juicy instead of dry. Cut into the thickest part: it should show no pink and the juices should run clear (75 °C).

   Add in this stepChicken breast 240 gKorean leek, for poaching ½Ginger, sliced 5 g

   high heat→low heat

2. Meanwhile bring a small pot of water to a boil, lower in the eggs straight from the fridge with a spoon, and cook on medium-high heat for 6 min 30 sec for a jammy yolk. Plunge them into iced water for 3 minutes, then peel.

   Add in this stepEggs 2

   medium-high heat

3. For the sauce, whisk the perilla oil, soy sauce and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Tear the cooled chicken into thin shreds along the grain, cut the cucumber into fine matchsticks and finely slice the spring onion. Put the seaweed in a bag and crush it into flakes with your hands.

   Add in this stepPerilla oil 2 tbspSoy sauce 3½ tspSugar 1 tsp

4. Bring 2.5 L of water to a boil on high heat. Shake the flour off the noodles, drop them in and cook for 4 min, stirring. Drain, then rinse under cold running water, rubbing with your hands until they no longer feel slippery, and shake them hard to drain well. Any water left behind dilutes the sauce.

   Add in this stepFresh kalguksu (knife-cut wheat) noodles 260 g

   high heat

5. Toss the noodles with two-thirds of the sauce and pile them into bowls. Top with the chicken, cucumber, halved eggs, spring onion, crushed seaweed and sesame seeds, and drizzle the remaining sauce over the chicken. Mix everything at the table and eat right away.

   Add in this stepCucumber ½Spring onion 1Toasted seaweed sheets (gim / nori) 2Toasted sesame seeds 2 tsp