4.194

18 (Thu) July 2013

Dak Gangjeong

2.0

from Mansuk

at home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

solo

Dak gangjeong (닭강정) is a Korean dish.  Chicken (dak), cut into bite-sized pieces, breaded and deep-fried, coated in a sweet and sticky honey-based glaze, sprinkled with crushed peanuts.   It’s a derivation of the traditional Korean confectionary gangjeong, which is made in a similar fashion with rice and/or seeds and/or nuts (hence the peanuts).

Mansuk (만석) is a Korean restaurant chain. Claims to have invented dak gangjeong in 1983.  Originally a marketplace chicken joint in Sokcho, now a national operation that ships dak gangjeong throughout the country.

In any case, dak gangjeong is also offered by many other chicken delivery chains, as well as the deli section in large supermarkets like E-Mart.  Earlier this afternoon, Hyundai Department Store hosted a pop-up event for Mansuk.  17,000 won for a box containing one bird.  Reportedly, the waiting time was over an hour.  Since the same product can be ordered anytime on the company’s website, I don’t know why anyone would bother standing in line; my mother-in-law did – to save 4,000 won on delivery charges, she claimed.

Anyway, it was okay.  Not all that different from standard Korean-style fried chicken, a bit sweeter and stickier.

(For more details about the food, see WHAT)

(For more details about the venue, see WHERE IN KOREA)