Chicken wings

Chicken wings with Gochujang sauce

Hello Reader,

I’ve modified a recipe from Sally of Bewitching Kitchen for what she describes as Korean barbecue chicken. Thanks to Eha for sharing the recipe with me. 

Gochujang chicken with lettuce, celery, tomato and mayonnaise.

Recipe

Equipment

  • Immersion circulator
  • Water bath
  • Toaster oven

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Mix the ingredients for the marinade.
  2. Add the chicken and coat each piece with the marinade
  3. Seal the marinaded wings in a vacuum bag.
  4. Refrigerate from 2 hours to overnight.
  5. Cook in a water bath at 64 °C for 2 hours.
  6. Remove the chicken from the bag and place it under a grill (toaster oven) for a few minutes to evaporate the excess liquid and caramelisation.
  7. Serve with whatever you like. I drizzled some mayonnaise and enjoyed the wings with some avocado one night and with a salad the next night.

Thoughts on the meal

This is the first time I’ve tried Gochujang paste with anything. It was good. I think these wings would be good to enjoy while watching the footy on a Friday night.

I bought ten chicken wing nibbles and divided them into two batches of five. I cooked both batches simultaneously and kept one for an extra night. I put the leftover batch into a moderate oven for 15 minutes and enjoyed them with some lettuce and tomatoes plus the mayonnaise. 

Photographs

References

Ramalingam, S., et al. (2022). “Physicochemical, Microbial, and Volatile Compound Characteristics of Gochujang, Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Produced by Traditional Cottage Industries.” Foods 11(3).

Gochujang, fermented red pepper paste, is a grain-based traditional Korean food. The quality of gochujang produced by cottage industries is not well-documented. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the quality of gochujang from 35 traditional cottage industries for physicochemical and microbial characteristics, along with volatile compound contents. In addition to microbial characteristics, salinity, pH, free amino nitrogen, and alcohol content were evaluated. Ethanol was detected as the predominant alcohol and 57% of tested gochujang products harboured>1% of total alcohol content, which was above the recommended level for halal products. Gochujang products contained hexadecanoic and linoleic acids predominantly and several volatile compounds belonging to the classes of alcohols, aldehydes, alkanes, nitrogen-containing compounds, and terpenes. A wide range of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (2.79-8.73 log CFU/g) and yeast counts (1.56-7.15 log CFU/g) was observed. Five distinct yeast species were identified, including Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. Eight gochujang products were contaminated with Bacillus cereus (>4 log CFU/g). This study suggests a need to limit B. cereus contamination in cottage industry products and reduce the alcohol content to comply with halal food guidelines.

 

Chicken tray-bake

If you don’t like reading the silly story and want the recipe, it is here.

Hello Reader,

It’s a wet Saturday in Canberra. It’s a long weekend here because Monday is Reconciliation Day. In Canberra, Reconciliation Day is on the first Monday after the twenty-seventh day of May.

In 1993, a week of prayer by some religious groups focused on reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. Reconciliation Week begins each year on the 27th of May.

The rain and the colder weather make me think I want something warm, easy, and comforting. Lorraine, aka, Not Quite Nigella, posted a traybake early in the week. While I don’t plan to replicate her recipe, I thought I’d throw some things in a tray, bung it into the oven, and hope for the best. If you don’t know of Lorraine, check out her blog. In my opinion, Lorraine is the most consistent and best food blogger in Australia. She’s scaled back a little from posting every day to every week-day. In each post, Lorraine tells a little story related to the food she’s sharing. I find the stories about her partner and her immediate family fascinating and compelling. Lorraine is of East Asian heritage, and we have a common bond through that. I often find myself commenting on her posts. I wish her blog had a setting to know if she ever responds to comments because I don’t receive a notification.

I chose chicken wings for my tray-bake because I’m a lazy slob at heart, and I plan to sit in front of the TV on my worn couch and eat dinner with my hands to lick all the fatty juices from my fingers. I have this coffee table thing in front of my dilapidated couch, and it sits between me and the TV. My girlfriend mentioned a TV show she thought I might like. It’s called Made for Love. I thought I’d watch it while enjoying dinner. If you’re in Australia, you can watch it on Stan. No spoilers, suffice to say, my girlfriend has amazing taste in everything including TV. She’s amazing.

When I say I’m lazy, I mean I’m not the greatest fan of washing dishes. I do it and happily do it because it’s hygienic; however, if I can make a meal in one vessel and eat it from that vessel and not need any tools, I’m a happy yella fella.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Chicken wings
  • MSG
  • Brown sugar
  • Salt
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Red wine
  • Capsicums
  • White onion
  • Red onion
  • Red Royale potato
  • Golden sweet potato
  • Kent pumpkin
  • Eggplant 🍆
  • Cream
  • Dijon mustard
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Monterey Jack cheese slices
  • Spring onion

Instructions

Chicken

  1. Remove the chicken wings from the plastic packaging. I usually wash out the plastic container, dry it, and then cut the plastic into smaller pieces and place it into a rubbish bin. I am lazy, so repeated trips to the rubbish bins outside the block of flats feel like a chore. I’d rather be warm in ugg boots and a flannelette shirt, more so in winter.
  2. Lay the chicken pieces over the bottom of the oven tray.
  3. Add brown sugar, MSG, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine to a jar. Shake the bottle to mix everything. Of course, close the bottle with the lid first; otherwise, the mess will be horrendous with sugar and red wine. Mind you, licking the floor would be full of sweet, salty, umami flavours.
  4. Pour the liquid over the chicken pieces.
  5. The following steps are alternatives.
  6. You could cover the tray with some plastic wrap and refrigerate, or you can do as I did and put the chicken and liquid into plastic bags and seal them. I used two bags and will use one bag later in the week.1
  7. Allow the chicken to absorb the flavours from the liquid in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Vegetables

  1. Cut all the vegetables into bite-size pieces. For me, that’s about the size of a squash ball. You may have a more petite mouth so basically, think of how many balls you can fit in your mouth and make the pieces the size you like.
  2. I like cutting vegetables. I like having a sharp knife in my hand. I like the feeling of the cold hard steel and the motion of the blade through the vegetables and enjoying the tactile pleasure. In medical school, tutors would ask about possible treatments. Rather than a physician-type answer, I answered surgically, “There’s nothing like the feel; the feel of cold hard surgical steel.” Some readers who know me know I’m a specialist microbiologist and might wonder why I don’t answer, “Antibiotics.” More often than not, I’d recommend managing any collection of pus with incision and drainage. It’s also fun to poke your finger in and have a good rummage around to get all the pus out. Don’t get me wrong, most of the time in medicine, surgery isn’t called for; but it’s what I think when it’s an option.
  3. Place the cut vegetables into a large bowl and then generously douse with a neutral oil. I know I’m not going to be using high heat for this meal, so it’s not about burning olive oil beyond its smoke point; it’s more about the wank of olive oil.
  4. With your hands, massage all the vegetables lightly with the oil.
  5. Mix some dried herbs and spices in a bowl and coat the vegetables. You can choose for yourself what you’d like to use. I’m not going to share what I used just in case I stumble across some phenomenal secret formula to a spectacular vegetable rub. 😳😆

Cooking the tray-bake

  1. Turn on the oven to moderate heat.
  2. Use a large baking tray so that all the items have a little room.
  3. Rub some oil over the inside surface of the tray.
  4. Spread the chicken and vegetables out on the tray.
  5. Put the tray into the oven.
  6. Cook until the tips, edges, and corners of the food has started to take on some colour. When this happens, pour a carton of cream into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of Dijon mustard. Whisk it gently, and then fold in some grated cheddar cheese and spring onion. I reckon leeks would have been good on thinking about this some more.
  7. Remove the tray from the oven and pour over the Dijon-flavoured cheese stiffened cream.
  8. Put the tray back into the oven and cook until the liquid has reduced and thickened.
  9. Pull the tray out and add a few slices of Monterrey Jack cheese on top, season with some freshly cracked black pepper, and return to the oven until the cheese slices melt.
  10. Remove the tray from the oven and allow it to rest until the food stops wobbling, and it feels a little more firm when you give the tray a little nudge.

Plating up

  1. On a large dinner plate, spoon out the contents of the tray.
  2. Allow the leftover food in the tray to cool a little more and then transfer it to a storage bag. If you’re like me, fill a vacuum bag, seal it, and refrigerate to enjoy this again later in the week. If you use a vacuum bag, you can freeze it and enjoy a freezer surprise meal some weeks or months into the future.2
  3. Set up your eating area with enough napkins and wet wipes. It may be best to lay an old towel over the coffee table, and if you’re like me, place a towel on the floor between the couch and coffee table.
  4. Turn on the TV.
  5. Put the plate of food on the dinner table.
  6. Grab a big glass of water.
  7. Wash your hands.
  8. Give thanks to the Lord.
  9. Enjoy the chicken and vegetables and finger-licking while watching TV.

Thoughts on the meal

For a one-pot meal, my dinner was pretty good. The chicken was moist and juicy, and the vegetables didn’t squeak on my teeth. The flavours were on point.

Adding a dinner roll and butter would have been suitable for sopping up the leftover juices in the tray rather than wiping my fingers through them and licking my fingers.

Your choice of TV viewing is up to you. Suppose this was happening on a Wednesday night in winter. In that case, I might watch the “greatest game of all” played by the best teams in the most magnificent sporting spectacle. If it was late in September on a Sunday night, I might watch the “greatest game of all” played by two teams which I may or may not care about, in the second-best sporting spectacle of all. The “greatest game of all” is rugby league football, for those who don’t know me. The best teams are the Queensland maroons (or cane toads) and the New South Wales blues (or cockroaches). State of Origin football is the greatest sporting spectacle of all time. The second best sporting spectacle of all time is the National Rugby League grand final played by the two teams which have won the most points during the season. These teams are not necessarily the best. The best teams are the ones I support, and they may not reach the grand final. 😆 If you’re interested, next year I’m switching allegiance from the Brisbane Broncos to the Dolphins.

Final thoughts

  1. Do you like eating and watching TV at the same time?
  2. Who is your favourite food blogger? If you answer Yummy Lummy, I’ll give you a hug.
  3. Do you like one-pot meals?

Footnotes

  1. You may notice in the photo that the bag is vacuum-sealed and contains the marinade; if you have a vacuum sealer, I’d be careful. Vacuum sealers are not great with liquid in the bags. You could use a zip bag and displace the air by putting the bagged food in water, gradually lowering and forcing the air out, and then zipping the bag shut. The alternative is to use a chamber sealer.
  2. The benefit of placing the leftovers into a vacuum bag is you can reheat the food in a water bath. It only takes between 30 and 45 minutes, and with little effort, you have a meal ready to eat after a busy day. I’ve been doing this during the week because work has been quite busy, and I’ve been spending about 11 hours in the office each day and coming home and working a few more hours each night.

Footy food by Yummy Lummy #StateofOrigin #Origin #Queensland

Footy food for State of Origin game two

Tonight is game two in this year’s state of origin series. On the old blog you can find many posts about state of origin and where my allegiances lie. Needless to say the photograph of me on my about page has the Queensland flag as a background. The Maroon jumper I wear in my twitter and instagram avatars says it all QUEENSLANDER!!!

On the way home tonight I stopped at Jamison Takeaway in the Jamison Plaza and bought some potato scallops and calamari rings to snack on while I cooked my dinner.

Footy food from Jamison Takeaway. Potato scallops and calamari rings. I hope Queensland defeats New South Wales tonight in the State of Origin game.
Footy food from Jamison Takeaway. Potato scallops and calamari rings. I hope Queensland defeats New South Wales tonight in the State of Origin game.

 

 

Sorry it’s a little blurry. I was so excited about eating them 🙂  

A need to do a shout out to the lovely ladies at the Jamison Takeaway. They always give me an extra potato scallop. They are the best. 

For dinner I made honey soy chicken wings. They make great footy food. Click on the image if you want to see a bigger version.

Happy hump day honey soy chicken wings while waiting for the State of Origin game #QUEENSLANDER
Happy hump day honey soy chicken wings while waiting for the State of Origin game #QUEENSLANDER

Honey soy chicken wings | Footy food by Yummy Lummy
 
Recipe Type: Footy food
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Rugby league is the greatest game of all. State of origin is the greatest example of rugby league. Queensland is the greatest state in Australia and in the world, even the universe. Footy and food go hand in hand.
Ingredients
  • Chicken wings
  • Honey
  • Soy sauce
  • Olive oil
  • Sherry
  • Dessicated coconut
  • Sesame seeds
  • Chilli flakes
  • Pepper
Instructions
  1. In a bowl add the chicken and everything else
  2. Mix well and allow to rest for ten minutes
  3. Put into a preheated oven (150 °C) for one hour
  4. Plate up
  5. Capture an image with a Nikon D5300 and a Tamron 90 mm Macro lens at 1/25 seconds, f/8 and ISO 100
  6. Eat the food while watching the pregame highlights
  7. Wash the dishes
  8. Write the blog post
  9. Enjoy the game
  10. Hope Queensland defeats New South Wales
 
Notes
Just to repeat, rugby league is the greatest game of all. State of origin is what sport is all about. Queenslanders are the best FULL STOP

 
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