-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-
solo
Among the many theories about how best to break a long fast (on top of the many more theories about fasting per se), I am inclined to believe anything promoting the consumption of lean proteins.
Literally two birds: a pair of spring chickens, combining for just under 1.4 kg.
To kill two birds with one stone, I am using this opportunity (i) to break the fast with boiled chicken and (ii) to make stock for a dish that I am planning for tomorrow.
SIDEBAR: Daepa (대파) is a Korean scallion (see generally 3.154 Stir-Fried Buchu & Eggs). The term means “large (dae) + scallion (pa),” though commonly referred to as “pa” by default, being the most common form. Smaller scallions similar to spring/green onions in the West are called “jjokpa” or “silpa,” which are used in other specific applications.For stir-fries, I like to use the white bases, which have the intense fragrance of onion without all the water and mushiness. I reserve the middle light green parts, sweet and tender, as a garnish for soups, tossed in at the very end. When making stock, I use the dark green scapes, which are a bit grassy and a bit tough to eat directly.I went with smaller chickens to maximize the amount of bones and cartilage, better for a thicker stock; I put the chickens in 2 liters of water, plus whatever aromatics that I had on hand: daepa + onion + carrot + garlic (and later pyogo, which I remembered after everything was already boiling) + 2 tablespoons of salt.After simmering for 1 hour, the flesh was fall-off-the-bone tender, and the stock was rich in flavor and dense in texture, reduced to about 1.5 liters.I set aside the breasts for use tomorrow.An occasion to boil chicken provides a major windfall for Louis, who gets all the remaining meat and organs and skin and cartilage.
The chicken quarters were awesome. Granted, I was coming off a long fast. Even still, the meat was luxuriously tender and savory sweet. I could eat this every day.
W has recently been sneaking in some of her own dishes (more on this in a future post).
I deplore old school European-style chinaware, especially mass-produced ones with colorful flowery prints (e.g., Royal Albert, as here). A friend once theorized that they were originally designed, often in England, to brighten up inherently dull-looking food. As today’s dish would strongly suggest, the plates make dull-looking food look bizarrely grotesque.
