Korean Fried Chicken and Tofu

"I happen to have an obsession with Korean food."

-- Nina Garcia

When I first had Korean fried chicken, I had low expectations. I figured it was going to be just like every other piece of fried chicken I had had before. But when I bit in and heard that first crunch, WOW! It is so tasty, so crunchy and so incredibly flavourful! I want to scream it from the mountain tops! I love KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN!! lol

This is actually a mashup of two recipes from Barry Lewis and Seonkyoung Longest. Be sure to check out their channels, because they are both a lot of fun to watch and make fun, interesting, delicious food. All right, let's get going! Happy eating!

Ingredients:

1 block - Extra Firm Tofu

1 cup - Almond Milk

1 tsp - Lemon Juice

2 Chicken Breasts (cut in large cubes or strips)

3/4 cup (230g) - Plain Greek Yogourt

1 tbsp - Lemon Juice

1 tsp - Garlic Powder

Salt and Black Pepper (to taste)

Coating:

1 1/2 cups - All Purpose Flour

1 tsp - Thyme

1 tsp - Paprika

1 tsp - Baking Powder

1 tsp - Cornstarch

1 tsp - Garlic Powder

Salt and Black Pepper (to taste)

Sauce:

2 tsp - Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

1 tsp - Soy Sauce

1 1/2 tsp - Strawberry Jam

1 1/2 tbsp - Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp - Brown Sugar

2 cloves - Garlic (or 1 tbsp of minced garlic)

1/4 cup (50g) - Water

Directions:

1. 2 hours or the night before, place your chicken into a container with the yogourt, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Mix until combined and cover with an airtight lid and place in the fridge.

2. Heat a pot of oil to 375 degrees.

3. To create the coating, combine the flour with the thyme, paprika, baking powder, cornstarch, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.

4. Place pieces of chicken into the coating and and fully cover them, making sure each piece is fully coated.

5. Place a few pieces of chicken into the oil at a time in order to maintain a consistent temperature. It should take about 3-4 minutes for small cubed pieces of chicken and 6-8 minutes. Because the tofu is already cooked, 3-4 minutes in the oil will be long enough.

6. Place the chicken or tofu on a plate that has a few sheets of paper towels on it. They will soak up the extra grease.

7. Quickly prepare the sauce. In a small frying pan, combine the gochujang, soy sauce, strawberry jam, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic and water. Mix until combined and allow the mixture to bubble for a few minutes. It will thicken and when you can draw a line in the middle of the mixture and it takes a long time for the sauce to come back together, it is ready.

8. Combine your chicken or tofu with the sauce, either in a bowl or directly in the pan. Make sure each piece is completely coated with the sauce. Enjoy!