1. Ingredients for Andong Jjimdak
-Primary ingredients: Chicken
-Secondary ingredients: Seasoning (soy sauce, sugar and chili pepper) and various vegetables (glass noodles, potato, carrot, onion, cabbage and spring onion)
2. Taste evaluation
-Spicy:★★★★☆
-Salty:★★★☆☆
-Sweet:★★☆☆☆
-Sour:☆☆☆☆☆
3.
Introduction to Andong Jjimdak
Andong
Jjimdak is a chicken cuisine using various vegetables seasoned with
soy sauce that is originated in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
There
are many stories about its origin.
Firstly,
there used to be the inner town inside the castle town where the rich
people lived and the outer town where the poor lived in the Joseon
Dynasty era. They say that the rich people living inside the castle
town enjoyed Jjimdak on special occasions which was referred to as
Andongnae Jjimdak by the poor.
Secondly, some say that the customers coming to traditional market famous for chickens in Andong requested to add vegetables in the original braised spicy chicken.
Third one is that it is a fusion cuisine developed in Andong traditional market where they used to sell chickens since Western style fried chicken chains got popular in the 1980s. This story is the most convincing and that’s what people believe these days.
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Andong
Jjimdak is a chicken with potato, carrot, onion, cabbage, spring
onion and glass noodles (made of sweet potato starch) seasoned with
soy sauce, sugar and dried pepper.
Since
it uses soy sauce and sugar for seasoning, it tastes similar to
Bulgogi and Galbi but it is spicier because it uses chili pepper.
Plus,
chicken meat gets soft when it’s cooked at a high temperature and
it will make you feel like you’re actually eating a few different
cuisines because it has vegetables and glass noodles.
Although
Andong Jjimdak has a short history, it is so popular that there are
numerous restaurant chains throughout Korea. The sauce is similar to
Galbi sauce as well as spicy taste that Koreans enjoy. Plus it is a
big dish that you can enjoy your meal or drinks with a few other
people even with one dish of chicken.
If
eating at a fancy restaurant is a good experience, wouldn’t it be a
good memory to eat a nice dish at a reasonable price as well?
I
wish you make many happy memories while you eat Korean foods.
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4.
Kinds of Andong Jjimdak
Andong
Jjimdak does not have many variations since it has a short history
developed in a specific area called Andong.
However,
it is sometimes cooked less spicy or with vegetables added depending
on their preferences so that everybody can enjoy it.
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5.
How to enjoy Andong Jjimdak even more
You
can easily find Andong Jjimdak in any downtown of any city.
But
touring Andong is highly recommended since it still has many Korean
traditional houses.
It
has Hahoe Village designated as a world heritage and other Korean
styled houses where you can actually stay.
It
will offer you a good chance to feel what it’s like to live in a
Korean traditional house and eat Andong Jjimdak at a traditional
market in Andong. But you should be aware that the chicken in Andong
is very spicy even for Koreans. So you’d have to ask them not to
make it too spicy.
AndongJjimdak is often enjoyed with drinks. It goes well with Soju that
might help you cool down your tongue after you eat spicy chicken.
As
I mentioned before, the sauce used in Andong Jjimdak is quite similar
to Bulgogi or Galbi sauce. But it tastes plain and lighter coming
from vegetables and low-fat chicken meat.
Don’tforget to mix a bowl of rice with the leftover sauce.
