I take inspiration from my different eating experiences, whether they be at a tapas bar or the local hawkers, or from reading Tan Hsueh Yun’s blogs. I still have a newspaper cutting of her Gochujang Chicken recipe, tempting me with its charred edges and shiny deliciousness!

How do I create my own recipes? What is my thought process? A picture is worth a thousand words. I am often sold when I look at the picture, especially when it looks so good and relatively easy to make. From this picture, I instantly start thinking…

1. This dish is all about a good marinade: the right combination of sauce and spice, then enough time for it to soak in: about an hour. A little sugar will give this a hint of sweetness and a nice char.

2. Gochujang sauce is made from fermented beans, glutinous rice and sweeteners, but I also add Doenjang bean paste, which has a heavier taste. So a mix of each, and I learnt from Mom much earlier in my cooking life, that when using fermented beans (including tau cheo, tau si), also add garlic, some sugar, and soy sauce. I also add a tablespoon of Mirin (a co-ingredient in many miso recipes). Mix everything together and taste: adjust, then mix and taste again. I want a tablespoon of the marinade for each drumstick. It’s fun, and makes me feel smart like a chemist in a lab, and creative like an artist!

3. I use de-boned chicken drumsticks, because I love the dark meat of chicken; it stays moist with grilling – skin on, of course! And it’s easy to slice and plate.


4. The cooking process would be on a non-stick pan on medium heat, till a nice char develops on both sides. Then 5 -10 minutes in the oven at 150°C to make sure it’s cooked through. (If it is cooked through on the pan, the edges would be burnt and bitter.)

5. What do I eat this with? Fried rice, or noodles tossed in a sauce, or in a burger … but nothing soupy. Lucky for me, my husband loves to cook and we always have his kimchi and green sauce in the refrigerator!

Here’s a picture of our dinner: egg noodles in a raw green sauce and Gochujang Chicken with homemade kimchi … give it a try. Create your own recipe today!

_{This post was first published on Intimate Suppers blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author. Image from Celina Tan}

_{Edited by Nedda Chaplin}

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