#SamLikesItHot: The Bomb-kin

MANILA, Philippines – I do use the expression quite a bit — maybe too much — but it tickles me how it is so very fitting for this dish. The dish I’ve christened The Bomb-kin is a combination of a slightly modified spicy Korean chicken nestled on top of steamed pumpkin with a very generous sprinkling of cheese.

The spiciness level is explosive and the finished product is reminiscent of a bombed pumpkin if that sort of thing actually happened. It’s the bomb. It’s a Bomb-kin!

The spicy Korean chicken in this dish is known as dakdoritang, a staple in most Korean households. You might have to take a quick trip to a Korean grocery store to make it but it’s very easy once you get started.

Hold up. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s first take a look at our beautiful specimen of a pumpkin for today’s dish:

I am smitten with this miniature pumpkin and I wanna do many naughty things with it. Today, I am settling with hacking it into 8 equal pieces and removing the seeds and stringy bits, and then getting all the pieces in a pot with just enough water to barely lick my steamer when it starts boiling.

With the pumpkin on its way, we can get started with the rest of the dish.

You’ll need:

• About 3 T canola oil [or any neutral-tasting oil]
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 2 skinless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 3 skinless chicken thigh fillets, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated
• 4 T gochujang [Korean chili paste]
• 2 T gochu garu [Korean chili powder]
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T cooking rice wine
• A pinch of salt
• Water as needed
• About 1½ cups sliced Korean rice cakes [soak in water for about 20 minutes before use]
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
• 2 stalks leeks, chopped
• Cheese as desired!

1. Add garlic, ginger, gochujang, gochu garu, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside.

2. Get a medium pot going on medium-high heat. Swirl in the canola oil. When the oil is ready, add the onion and green chilies.

3. The chicken fillets should be chopped into bite-size pieces. Add them to the pot and cook until they turn opaque. When done, add in sweet potatoes and sauce from Step 1.

4. Add just enough water to cover everything in the pot and stir to mix thoroughly. Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are done. Taste and adjust seasoning. [Don’t forget to check on your pumpkin, too!]

5. Uncover the pot and add in Korean rice cakes and leeks.

A little bit on the rice cakes: soaking them in water will make for much softer and chewier bits later. This is a non-issue if you get them fresh but they tend to have dried out a bit by the time you pick them up from the fridge of a Korean grocery store.

They cook pretty fast once they hit your pot so stir them in and continue cooking with the lid off while checking for doneness, about 5 minutes.

5. Let’s assemble! You will need a large dish with some depth. Spread out the steamed pumpkin pieces and top with a generous amount — if not all — of the chicken.

6. Top with lots of grated cheese. I went with double Gloucester and mozzarella. This goes in the microwave on high until the cheese melts to your liking.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m very pleased to introduce you to Bomb-kin!

A wedge of sweet steamed pumpkin with spicy chicken, chewy rice cakes, sweet potatoes and rich gooey cheese all drenched in an atomic sauce — it’s a complete meal in itself and there is nothing like it.

If I could do one thing different, I would have reduced the sauce more for a thicker, more intense swathing of flavor.

But still. Could there be a more fun and novel way of eating pumpkin? I think not! – Rappler.com

 

Check out our other recipes:

• #SamLikesItHot: Pumpkin and sausage lasagna
• #SamLikesItHot: Choco-hazelnut cupcakes with Horlicks mud
• #SamLikesItHot: Seafood laksa
• #SamLikesItHot: Adobo flakes
• #SamLikesItHot: Pizza pot pie

Sam Oh is a professional TV and events host, radio jock and foodie. Catch her on radio at First Thing In The Morning with Sam and Gibb on Magic 89.9, Monday to Thursday, 6am to 9am. She is also a food blogger. If you have questions or recipe requests, email desk@rappler.com with subject heading SAM LIKES IT HOT.