Hand-Cut Dak-kalguksu in Clear Chicken Broth

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, pour in the water a little at a time and work it with your hand into a shaggy dough. Knead on the counter for 8 min until it is smooth and soft, like an earlobe. It starts out stiff, which is normal; add water a teaspoon at a time only if it won't come together. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes so the gluten relaxes and it rolls out easily.

   Add in this stepAll-purpose flour 200 gSalt (for the dough) ½ tspLukewarm water (for the dough) 90 ml

2. Pat the chicken dry and trim off lumps of fat, then put it in a 20 cm pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil on high heat, boil for 3 min, then tip into a colander and rinse both chicken and pot with warm water to wash off the scum. This blanching is the secret of a clear broth. Wash hands and tools with soap after touching raw chicken.

   Add in this stepBone-in chicken pieces or a jointed whole chicken 650 g

   high heat

3. Return the blanched chicken to the clean pot with the water, onion, garlic, ginger, the green half of the leek and the soaked shiitake, and heat on high heat for 10 min until boiling. Then turn down to medium-low heat so the surface barely trembles, set the lid ajar and simmer for 40 min, skimming off fat and foam. Add the kombu only for the last 10 minutes and lift it out; boiled longer it turns the broth slimy and bitter.

   Add in this stepWater (for the broth) 1,900 mlOnion ½Garlic cloves, whole 5Ginger, sliced 8 gKorean leek (large green onion) ½Dried shiitake, pre-soaked 2Kombu, 10 x 10 cm piece 1

   high heat→medium-low heat

4. While the broth simmers, make the noodles. Dust the counter and dough with starch and roll it out about 2 mm thick, to roughly 30×35 cm. Dust generously, fold loosely into 3 or 4 layers and cut into strips 3 to 4 mm wide with a sharp knife. Shake the strands loose straight away and toss with more starch so they don't stick.

   Add in this stepPotato starch, for dusting 2 tbsp

5. Lift out the chicken, let it cool a little, then shred the meat finely and toss it with the minced garlic, sesame oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Strain the broth through a sieve lined with paper towel for a clear result, and slice the shiitake thinly. For the seasoning sauce, mix the soy sauce, gochugaru, finely sliced spring onion, sesame oil and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Cut the zucchini into fine matchsticks and slice the rest of the leek on the diagonal.

   Add in this stepMinced garlic (for the chicken) 1 tspToasted sesame oil (for the chicken) 1 tspSalt to tasteGround black pepper to tasteSoy sauce 1½ tbspGochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) 1 tspSpring onion 1Toasted sesame oil (for the sauce) 1 tspToasted sesame seeds 1 tsp

6. Bring the strained broth back to a boil. Shake the excess starch off the noodles and drop them in while stirring, then add the zucchini and leek. Cook on medium-high heat for 4 min, until the noodles float and are translucent and chewy right through.

   Add in this stepZucchini (courgette) ½Korean leek (large green onion) ½

   medium-high heat

7. Season with the soup soy sauce, add salt if needed, and finish with pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and top with the seasoned chicken and shiitake. Serve the seasoning sauce on the side for everyone to stir in a spoonful, along with the kimchi.

   Add in this stepKorean soup soy sauce 2 tspSalt to tasteGround black pepper to tasteNapa cabbage kimchi (fresh geotjeori is ideal) 150 g