Korean fried chicken

First, make the chicken. In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar (2 tbsp) with 160ml warm water, stir until dissolved, then mix in the soy sauce (120 ml), lemon juice (4 tsp), vinegar (4 tsp), sesame oil (2 tsp), garlic (1 clove) and ginger (1 piece) apart from the chicken and cornflour. Add the chicken (8) and mix to coat. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

To make the pickle, combine the caster sugar (90 g) with 1 tsp salt and 50ml hot water in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until dissolved. Add 65ml cold water, the vinegar (150 ml) and the radish (8). Stir and place in the fridge to chill.

To make the chicken sauce, put gochujang (3 tbsp), chilli flakes (1/2 tsp), soy sauce (115 ml), vinegar (4 tsp), brown sugar (80 g), garlic (2 cloves), ginger (1 piece) and sesame oil (2 tsp) apart from the cornflour into a saucepan and cook over a medium heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Mix the cornflour (1/2 tsp) with 1 tsp water, whisk into the sauce and bring to the boil. Strain the sauce, cover and set aside.

Preheat a good glug of oil – enough to deep-fry the chicken – in a deep fat fryer or large pan to 175°C. In a large bowl, start preparing the batter – mix together the cornflour (70 g), flour (70 g) and garlic granules (10 g) and season well. In a separate bowl or jug, mix the vodka (75 ml) with 100ml water.

To prepare the chicken, place wire racks over two baking trays. Pre-coat the chicken in the cornflour (2 tbsp), shaking off any excess, and place it onto the first rack. Just before frying, whisk the vodka mixture into the dry mixture to make the batter – it should be the consistency of paint.

Using tongs, dip each piece of chicken into the batter, letting any excess drip off. Lower the chicken into the hot oil, holding for a few seconds to seal before releasing. Cook a few chicken pieces at a time until golden brown and crispy, ensuring the thickest part of the chicken is cooked through (it should be 75°C when tested with a meat thermometer). Drain on the clean rack and, if necessary, flash fry to ensure it’s all piping hot and crisp.

To plate, paint a stripe of gochujang (1 tbsp) onto 4 plates and shake over the sesame seeds (1 tsp). Toss the chicken in the sauce and place two thighs onto each plate, along with some of the pickled radish, a drizzle of the sauce, and a sprinkling of red chilli (1) and spring onion (1).