Making Kkanpunggi for less than 10,000 won: Using chicken leg meat and starch

A method for cooking Kkanpunggi, which is highly popular as a dining-out menu, at home with low costs has been revealed. According to a video from 'Ye Kyung-ok's Oksabu TV okcheftv', you can make sufficiently delicious Kkanpunggi with an ingredient cost of less than 10,000 won by using chicken leg meat as the main ingredient.

The ratio of chicken leg meat and starch determines the crispiness of the fry

It is common to use chicken leg meat for cooking the chicken, which is the core of Kkanpunggi, though chicken breast can be used depending on preference. Prepare the meat by cutting it into square shapes approximately 3–4cm in size. When making the batter, use potato starch, and an amount of starch about one-third of the weight of the chicken is appropriate. To add stickiness, mix in an amount of water equal to about half the amount of starch, adjusting the amount of water depending on the moisture level of the meat while coating it.

When frying, set the oil temperature to about 170 degrees Celsius and then add the meat one by one. At this time, it is important not to touch the meat during the initial 1–2 minutes so that the batter can adhere well to the meat. This is because if you touch the meat before the batter is cooked, the batter may peel off. During the frying process, moisture from inside the meat may escape and cause oil to splatter; if you occasionally take the meat out and tap it against a bowl to remove moisture, you can fry it more crisply. A total frying time of about 4–5 minutes is appropriate.

Making a harmonious sauce of sour, sweet, salty, and spicy flavors

To create the unique taste of Kkanpunggi, one must appropriately combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper, and chili powder or peppers to add spiciness. In particular, the key to the taste is the good harmony between the sourness of the vinegar, the aroma of the pepper, and the flavor of the garlic. Prepare the sauce in advance by mixing 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of brewed soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc.

The sauce cooking proceeds after preparing the fried chicken. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a pan and first lightly sauté garlic to release its aroma. After that, add the prepared sub-ingredients (bell pepper, green onion, etc.) and chili powder, and sauté them together over high heat. Finally, add the fried chicken and the pre-made sauce, and toss them until the ingredients are completely mixed to finish the cooking.