Yesterday was the 2013 Brooklyn Zine Fest! There was so much great press coverage this year, the space was packed, and the line by the entrance went around the block during the peak hours. Thanks to our friends, Emily, Debra, and Michelle, we were able to coordinate brief breaks and eat some food out in the sunshine.

I had so much fun tabling with Jannese and meeting zine readers and makers. There were over 80 writers, artists, and publishers exhibiting this year. I was happy to meet a friendly food zine writer of the Runcible Spoon and connected with quite a few Korean food lovers who took home my new recipe zine.

A mini poster zine I made for the Zine Fest.

Some outgoing mail!

As a show of thanks to you, I am sharing one of my favorite dishes that didn’t make it on the recipe zine this time: spicy Korean chicken stew. I love comforting one-pot meals, like a chicken casserole with a side of buttery mashed potatoes or a hearty soup served with some crusty bread. There are days I want cooking to be easy, with less dishes to wash.

Spicy Korean chicken stew is a traditional Korean dish with many regional variations, even non-spicy versions. Mine is mildly spicy. The trick is to boil the chicken first, which makes the chicken fall-off-the-bones tender. The fat is skimmed off while the chicken stock is saved for later. I like to add in cubed sweet potatoes or tomatoes in my stew, which adds in some natural sweetness. You can also even throw in some rice cake sticks, but remember to soak them in hot water first if they have been refrigerated!

Korean spicy chicken stew
(Dak-bokkeum Tang / Dak-dori Tang)
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
5 cups water
3 cloves of garlic
4 pieces of bone-in chicken (legs and thighs)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cups carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

**Optional: sweet potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, rice cake sticks, etc.

Sauce:
3 tablespoons soysauce
3 tablespoons gochujang
1 tablespoon gochugaru
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Directions:
1. In a wide pot, bring water to a boil. Add garlic cloves.
2. Rinse the chicken pieces in cold running water, drain, and put them in the boiling water.
3. Boil the chicken for about 30 minutes. Spoon off any grease or foam that rises to the top.
4. In a small bowl, make the sauce. Taste and adjust.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, take the pot off the heat. Save about 2 cups of broth and drain the chicken.
5. In the same pot, lightly sauté onion and carrots for 5 minutes.
6. Put the chicken back in with 1 cup of the saved broth and the sauce.
7. Stir as the sauce thickens and add the rest of the broth in accordingly. Put the lid on the pot and simmer on low-heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Sprinkle some scallions and sesame seeds on top and serve with a bowl of rice!