Korean roasted chicken wings (tong dak)

My fingers are sticking to the keys ever so slightly as I'm typing. I could barely lick my fingers clean before I ran over to my computer to share this out-of-this-freakin-world recipe with everyone. The sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy -- a blend of garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame, and red pepper paste for the kick. Yesterday, I went on a little ethnic market tour around Iowa City with some friends, so I tried to find some simple recipes before going and that's how I came across this recipe. It is from www.koreanfood.about.com. For anyone who likes Asian inspired foods and/or wings, these wings will blow your taste buds. 

1. First, make the marinade. In a medium bowl, combine:

• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ small onion, minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon red pepper paste (known as kochujang, which I found at a Korean market in town)

2. Place 2 lbs. of chicken wings and drumettes into the marinade. Mix the chicken to coat, and then place the bowl in the fridge for several hours. 

3. When the chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 400. 

4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the wings and drumettes to the pan and brown the chicken on all sides (about 2 minutes per side), reserving the rest of the marinade.

5. Transfer the chicken to a shallow baking dish and pour the reserved marinade over the chicken. Place the dish in the preheated oven. Roast for 40 minutes, turning the chicken to coat halfway through cooking. 

Serves 3. 

We made some spicy sweet potato fries on the side and the flavors went way too well together. So when (not if) you make these, I really suggest making some sweet potatoes too!

My justification for starting a blog. And African Peanut Stew.

When I shared my idea of starting a food blog with my friends, everyone had the same reaction. They sort of giggled (some more intensely than others), probably thinking something like, "not another one who thinks anyone cares about the mundaneness of your everyday antics." But I know deep down, they also probably thought it was really fitting. People in my life know that I'm in love with food; I love looking at it, reading about it, cooking it, smelling it, thinking about it, and certainly eating it. I more often than not have a difficult time concentrating in class because I'm thinking about what to make for dinner. So starting a food blog is my way of keeping track of my culinary adventures by giving me a place to write down memories of wonderful things I've eaten. And for anyone who does care about the mundaneness of my everyday antics, even just a little, here's a gateway into one of the things I cherish most.

So to begin, last night my roommate and I made African Peanut Stew. I'll admit that I got the recipe from a peanut butter jar, but hear me out. The other day I bought some organic Santa Cruz light roasted peanut butter. On the lid is printed a recipe for this stew, and it was amazing. The peanut flavor was subtle, but in perfect proportion to the rest of the flavors in the dish. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. chicken pieces
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 cup natural peanut butter (I would recommend the chunky kind which adds more texture to the stew)
• 14.5 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped potatoes
• 14.5 ounce can of garbanzo beans
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

What to do:

1. Put on some rice to cook.
2. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat some oil in a heavy frying pan and brown the chicken pieces. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add the onions to the pan and cook until brown and soft (about 5 minutes).
4. Combine the peanut butter and crushed tomatoes with 1 cup warm water in a bowl. Add this mixture to the onions, scraping up any brown bits.
5. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the carrots, potatoes, garbanzo beans, and thyme. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and chicken are tender (the recipe says about an hour, but we only cooked it for about 20-30 minutes and it turned out well).
6. Serve it over rice.

This recipe serves 5 or 6 people. We divided everything into thirds since there were only two of us. We ended up adding a bit more peanut butter, crushed tomatoes, and water because it was starting to look a little dry and it worked out beautifully.  This dish made me excited for all the ethnic food you find at farmer's markets during the summer.