The other day, I took a crack at Chef John’s Korean Fried Chicken Sauce. Unlike most of my cooking attempts, I followed this one to the letter – even going so far as to have ketchup Google Expressed to my apartment (I ordered other things, as well – I’m not that lazy).
Overall, the recipe was good, but it didn’t strike me as exceptional, largely because it didn’t really seem to have the same degree of sour-ness that a lot of Korean recipes have. Chef John does add the caveat that “everything is ‘to taste’ so adjust until you think it’s balanced between sweet, sour, and spicy,” so I likely didn’t adjust effectively enough. But no matter how I tweaked it, it still came out like ketchup and Sriracha, which is largely what it was. In retrospect, I likely should have reduced the quantity of ketchup, and added mirin or tamari sauce for a little bit more of a bite.
Or perhaps it’s because I used store-bought ketchup, rather than making my own. I guess I’ve found my project for next week.
Silicon Spatula 