With the announcement that K-pop idols Twice will become the first female group to headline a stadium in Australia, coming to Melbourne on 4 November, we are all feeling the Korea-boom.

Korean fried chicken 닭강정

Serves 4 | Prep 15 mins | Rest 20 mins | Cook 20 mins

• 700g chicken breasts, skin on
• 150ml (generous 1/2 cup) milk
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp mild paprika
• 1 tsp mild yellow curry powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 litre (4 cups) neutral vegetable oil
• 3 crushed almonds (or peanuts)

For the Korean fritter batter

• 300g plain flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 100ml (scant 1/2 cup) beer
• 200ml (generous 3/4 cup) water

For the Yangnyeom sauce

• 1/4 apple
• 1/2 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 100ml (scant 1/2 cup) water
• 5 Tbsp ketchup
• 20g gochujang chilli paste
• 1 Tbsp gochugaru chilli powder
• 4 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 5 Tbsp corn syrup
• 1 good pinch pepper

To make the batter, place the flour, egg, salt and beer in a bowl. Stir in the water gradually while mixing. The batter should be smooth and free of lumps.

Cut the chicken breasts into roughly bite-sized pieces. Pour the milk over the chicken pieces. Cover and leave to rest for 20 minutes.

Drain the chicken using a colander. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl with the salt, paprika, curry and garlic powders. Massage the spices into the chicken. Mix with the fritter batter.

Heat the oil to 170°C. To check the temperature, let a drop of batter fall into the oil: if it immediately rises to the surface, the temperature is correct. Ensure each piece of chicken is well coated with batter and drop them into the oil. The chicken pieces should not stick to each other in the oil. Fry for around 5 minutes. Take the chicken out and let it drain for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Fry again for 3 minutes and allow to drain for 5 minutes.

For the yangnyeom sauce, purée the apple, onion and garlic in a small food processor. Combine with the water, ketchup, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup and pepper. Heat the mixture in a sauté pan or frying pan over a high heat. When the sauce simmers, just before boiling, reduce the heat. Mix very gently once or twice. Simmer for 7 minutes, stirring. Add the fried chicken and heat over a medium heat. Carefully coat the chicken with the sauce then simmer for 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with crushed almonds or peanuts.

Matcha and white chocolate hotteok pancakes 녹차호떡

Makes 6 | Prep 15 mins | Rest 2 hours | Cook 1 hour

• 200ml (generous 3/4 cup) water
• 5g dry baker’s yeast
• 25g white (granulated) sugar
• 50ml (scant 1/4 cup) milk
• 2 Tbsp matcha green tea powder
• 200g plain (all-purpose) flour
• 70g glutinous rice flour
• 1 tsp salt
• Neutral vegetable oil

For the filling

• 50g white cooking chocolate
• 30g hazelnuts
• 1⁄3 tsp vanilla powder

Warm the water, add the yeast and white sugar, then mix together. Stand for 5 minutes. Warm the milk, add the matcha powder and mix. Mix the matcha milk with the sweetened water with the yeast.

Tip the plain flour, glutinous rice flour and salt into a bowl. Pour in the water and matcha milk mixture gradually, stirring after you pour in each third. Put on a pair of gloves and oil them liberally with the neutral oil, then mix the dough using your hands. The dough must be smooth and sticky. Cover and allow to stand for 2 hours at room temperature.

Cut the white chocolate into pieces and crush the hazelnuts. Combine the chocolate, hazelnuts and vanilla powder.

In a 9cm diameter frying pan, heat a layer of vegetable oil. Put on gloves and oil them liberally. Take a generous handful of dough in your hand. Spread it out slightly, make an indent in the middle and add a heaped tablespoon of the hazelnut-chocolate filling. Close by stretching the edges of the dough upwards to cover the filling.

Place the filled dough in the frying pan. Press gently with an oiled metal pusher (or use an oiled spatula) to obtain a round shape without piercing the dough. Turn over halfway through cooking or after about 5 minutes. Both sides should be nicely golden brown. Make 6 pancakes in total, perhaps serving with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and some berries.

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