Dak-hanmari (Whole Chicken Hot Pot)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 4 to 5 quart pot or shallow jeongol-style pan
• •Portable tabletop burner
• •Kitchen scissors
• •Tongs
• •Fine skimmer or ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the chicken

   Trim the yellow fat from the cavity and tail end of the chicken, then rinse the cavity under cold water and pat the bird dry. Cut away any loose skin hanging from the neck. This keeps the broth clean instead of greasy, which matters because dak-hanmari has nowhere to hide.

   If the chicken still has organs inside, remove them. Liver and gizzard belong in other dishes, not in this clear pot.
2. 2

   Make clear broth

   Put the water, kelp, anchovies, leek greens, whole garlic cloves, onion, salt, and peppercorns in a wide pot. Bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat, then pull the kelp out as soon as small bubbles gather at the edge, about 8 to 10 minutes. Kelp gives sweetness and body, but if you boil it hard or leave it too long, it turns the broth slick and bitter. Simmer the anchovies and aromatics 12 minutes more, then lift them out.

3. 3

   Start the chicken

   Lower the whole chicken breast side up into the broth. The liquid should come about three-quarters up the bird; add up to 1 cup more water if your pot is wide. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 25 minutes, skimming foam and fat from the surface during the first 10 minutes. A hard boil roughens the meat and clouds the broth. Keep it calm.

4. 4

   Mix the sauce

   While the chicken cooks, stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, mustard, gochugaru, 1 tablespoon hot broth, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and the 4 minced garlic cloves. Add the sliced cabbage or garlic chives if using. Taste it once the sugar dissolves. It should be sharp, salty, and mustard-hot, because each dip touches only a small piece of chicken. This is why the pot itself stays restrained.

5. 5

   Add potatoes

   Add the potato slices around the chicken and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until they are just tender at the center. Put them in too early and they break apart before the chicken is ready; put them in too late and everyone waits with chopsticks in the air. Notebook 31 says 1/2-inch slices cook evenly in this broth.

6. 6

   Cut at table

   Move the pot to a portable burner at the table, keeping it at a gentle simmer. Use kitchen scissors and tongs to cut the chicken into serving pieces: legs first, then wings, then the breast meat into thick slices against the grain. Check that the thickest part of the thigh reaches 74 C or 165 F. Cutting at the table is not theater; the meat finishes in the broth while everyone begins eating, and the bones keep giving flavor.

7. 7

   Add rice cakes

   Add the soaked rice cakes and the white leek or scallion pieces. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until the rice cakes bend softly but still chew. If using napa cabbage or green chili in the pot, add them now. Serve chicken pieces with potato, rice cake, and a spoonful of broth, dipping each bite into the sauce.

8. 8

   Finish with noodles

   When most of the chicken is eaten, skim any loose bits from the broth and taste it. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt only if it tastes flat. Shake excess flour from the kalguksu noodles, then add them to the simmering broth and stir so they do not clump. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, until chewy and tender. The flour left on the noodles thickens the broth a little; too much flour makes paste, so shake them well before they go in.

   Do not add the noodles at the beginning. They drink the broth and turn soft before the chicken is done. The noodles are the last course, not a passenger.

Chef Tips

• •Choose a small, young chicken, 1.3 to 1.6 kg. A large roasting chicken looks generous but takes too long and can toughen before the broth is balanced.
• •A portable burner is the proper modern vessel here. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too. Charcoal is not required, but the shared simmer at the table is part of the dish.
• •The sauce can take more mustard than you think, but don't make it sweet. Dak-hanmari is a clear pot with a bright dip, not a red stew.
• •Fresh rice cakes go straight in. Refrigerated rice cakes should soak in warm water for 15 minutes so they soften evenly and don't split at the surface.
• •Leftover broth is good the next morning with rice and a beaten egg. Boil it first, taste for salt, then add the rice. Waste is poor cooking.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat it before adding the chicken, and skim any settled fat or foam.
• •The dipping sauce can be mixed up to 1 day ahead, but add sliced cabbage or garlic chives within 1 hour of serving so they keep their bite.
• •Trim the chicken and soak firm rice cakes earlier in the day. Keep the chicken refrigerated until 20 minutes before cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 900g)