Korean Fried Quail with Cucumber Pickles

This wild recreation tackle Korean Fried Hen is crispy, sticky, and indulgent

Korean meals was one of many cuisines I arrived at late, however fell into onerous.

I grew up within the suburbs of a medium-sized metropolis with a lot of early ’90s takeout choices like pizza, quick meals, and Canadian-Chinese language, however my mother and father weren’t too excited by ordering takeout. This was doubtless as a result of they each got here from struggling immigrant Dutch households who grew their very own meals, and in addition as a result of we merely didn’t find the money for to bask in issues like that. 

As I grew right into a semi-sentient, semi-autonomous, and really hungry teenager, I started spending a lot of my hard-earned cash on quick meals, principally for the social advantages. Having a spot to hang around with my mates that wasn’t one in every of our mother and father’ homes, or some park, felt essential to me on the time.  From there I left for faculty, which was positioned in a small city the place takeout and quick meals choices have been few—not that it mattered, as a result of I didn’t find the money for for groceries, not to mention eating places. 

Time went on and I discovered myself transferring from place to put to comply with work alternatives, most of which have been in distant, northern areas the place takeout choices have been just about nonexistent. Then, in my late 20s, I moved in with my girlfriend in downtown Toronto and bought a job as an city arborist. Abruptly, I had a bit of additional cash to spare, and there was meals throughout me. 

Oh, the meals. 

Toronto is the fourth-largest metropolis in North America, behind solely Mexico Metropolis, New York, and Los Angeles. It’s additionally one of the crucial various cities on the planet, bringing a multi-cultural strategy to meals that’s second solely to cities like London and New York. 

I’d discovered myself in a meals wonderland, and I took full benefit–it was the primary time that meals felt expansive somewhat than restricted. Cloudy bowls of steaming ramen, pungent Vietnamese fish sauce rooster wings, mouthwatering Portuguese churrasco, plump momos drowning in jhol, smoky wooden oven pizzas, pleasant arrays of Spanish tapas, searing sizzling jerk rooster, wealthy curries sopped up with buttery naan, mile-high steamer baskets stuffed with translucent Cantonese dumplings, hilariously outsized bowls of decadent pho, and Korean meals!

I’d by no means actually skilled Korean meals earlier than then. Korean barbecues, H-Marts with complete partitions devoted to numerous kimchi, guys on the road nook cooking up enjoyable little stuffed waffles formed like fish, late-night eating places blaring Okay-Pop and serving restorative bowls of gamjatang and soondubu jiggae… the Korean meals in Toronto was every little thing I’d ever needed. 

After which I discovered Korean Fried Hen, affectionately referred to as KFC by those that get pleasure from it. Crunchy, sticky, unapologetically indulgent; I understood why individuals lined up for it. I’d additionally fallen in love, however on the time I didn’t understand how a lot I’d miss this type of meals as soon as it was gone.

After Toronto, we moved round a bit and in the end ended up out within the woods once more, the place the closest “takeout” possibility was 40 minutes into city for a sub-par pizza and turning on the seat hotter beneath the field for the 40-minute drive dwelling. Don’t get me unsuitable, I like dwelling out within the woods, however rattling do I miss the meals choices—particularly on the odd event I don’t really feel like cooking. 

At some point, the longing for KFC hit me onerous, and it wasn’t for the Colonel’s unhappy excuse for soggy fried rooster. Digging round in my freezer, I got here throughout some quail that I’d been saving for a special day. A good friend of mine had shot a bunch whereas coaching together with his canine and had gifted me a half dozen. Good. Quail are sufficiently small to fry entire, and I figured the KFC remedy would carry them to an entire new degree. 

I developed this recipe in an effort to relive my Toronto meals days, however with a extra nuanced, wild ingredient. It takes a little bit of effort, however I guarantee you, you gained’t be disenchanted! 

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