Crispy & Chewy! Spicy-Sweet Dried Pollack Gangjeong Recipe
Utilize Leftover Dried Pollack from Holidays, Perfect for the Whole Family as a Snack & Drink Accompaniment!
Have leftover dried pollack (hwangtae) from your holiday ancestral rites table? Don’t let it go to waste! Today, we’re introducing a simple yet incredibly delicious ‘Hwangtae Gangjeong’ (candied dried pollack). With its crispy exterior and chewy interior, coated in a special spicy-sweet sauce, this dish is sure to be a hit with everyone, from kids to adults. It’s perfect as a satisfying snack, a hearty side dish for rice, or a fantastic accompaniment to a cold beer. Make Hwangtae Gangjeong now and delight your whole family’s taste buds!
Main Ingredients for Hwangtae Gangjeong- 1 Dried Pollack (Hwangtae)
- 1/2 Onion
- 1/2 cup Potato Starch (for frying pollack)
- A little Pine Nuts (for garnish)
- Plenty of Cooking Oil (for frying)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the dried pollack. Don’t soak the dried pollack for too long. Briefly rinse it under water or let it run under tap water for about 10 seconds. Soaking it for too long can diminish its unique flavor and texture.
Step 2
Now, we’ll cut the slightly moistened dried pollack into bite-sized pieces. Remove the head, tail, and fins by hand. Then, cut the body into pieces about 3-4 cm long. Removing the tough central bone will make it easier to eat.
Step 3
Next, coat the cut pollack pieces evenly with potato starch. Press the pollack firmly into the starch with your hands to ensure a good coating. This step is crucial for achieving a crispy texture when fried. Avoid applying too much starch, as it can make the coating too thick.
Step 4
Now it’s time to fry the starch-coated pollack until crispy. Pour a generous amount of cooking oil into a pot and heat it over medium heat. If the oil temperature is too low, the pollack will absorb too much oil; if it’s too high, it will burn quickly, so be mindful of the temperature. Add the prepared pollack pieces and fry until golden brown. For an extra crispy texture, try ‘double-frying’: fry them once, remove them, slightly increase the oil temperature, and then fry them again!
Step 5
Let’s make the special sauce that will make this Hwangtae Gangjeong so delicious! In a bowl, combine 3 Tbsp gochujang, 1 Tbsp chili sauce, 4 Tbsp corn syrup or oligosaccharide, 1 Tbsp cooking wine (mirin), and 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Mix everything thoroughly until smooth, ensuring there are no lumps.
Step 6
Onion is an important ingredient that adds umami to the gangjeong sauce. Finely mince half an onion. Mincing the onion rather than slicing it will help it blend better with the sauce.
Step 7
Lightly oil a heated pan and add the minced onion. Sauté the onion.
Step 8
Cook the onion over medium-low heat until it becomes translucent and its natural sweetness begins to release. Sautéing the onion thoroughly will deepen the sauce’s flavor significantly.
Step 9
Pour the prepared Hwangtae Gangjeong sauce into the pan with the sautéed onion and mix well. Stir as it simmers, allowing the onion and sauce to meld together.
Step 10
Once the sauce begins to bubble vigorously, reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 1-2 minutes to reach your desired consistency. Since residual heat will continue to cook the sauce, it’s best to let it cool slightly before using it.
Step 11
Now it’s time to coat the fried pollack with the sauce. After letting the sauce cool down a bit, add the crispy fried pollack and toss gently to coat. Adding the pollack directly to hot sauce will quickly make it soggy, so it’s essential to let the sauce cool before mixing!
Step 12
Carefully toss the pollack so that every piece is evenly coated with the sauce. Using chopsticks or a spatula to gently mix will help coat the pollack evenly while minimizing breakage.
Step 13
Your delicious Hwangtae Gangjeong is ready! Arrange the finished dish attractively on a plate and sprinkle with the prepared pine nuts as a garnish. The addition of nutty pine nuts will make your Hwangtae Gangjeong even more appealing. Enjoy your meal!
