Five years ago, Amanda made an excellent version of Fire Chicken with Cheese (Cheese Buldak).  Earlier this month, we were in a Korean neighborhood in Shinjuku ward in Tokyo and I tried to order Fire Chicken for dinner, but the others thought it would be too spicy.  Returning to the US, I saw a recipe for it in Cook’s Illustrated, and this is adapted from that recipe.  It was very tasty, took about an hour to make, and will serve 4-6 people.  It is very flavorful and spicy, but not very chili hot.

One thing about this recipe is that it includes Korean rice cakes (Tteok) which provide a chewy and neutral component to the dish.  I thought they were a plus.  I found non-sweet rice cakes at Lotte Mart in Richmond which were about the size of a marble.  They did not brown as well as I think the flatter ones in the Cook’s Illustrated photo, so the next time I will look harder for the flat rice cakes

1/3 cup water

¼ cup ssal-jocheong (brown rice syrup) or light corn syrup (I used barley syrup)

¼ cup gochugaru

2 Tbs. gochujang

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. mirin

1 Tbs. oyster sauce

1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger

1 tsp. black pepper

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ¾ inch pieces

¾ tsp. salt

3 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided

8 oz. rice cakes, sliced (I used 11 oz. of round cakes

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

8 oz. low moisture mozzarella, shredded

Position an oven rack 8 inches below the broiler.  Preheat the broiler.

In a medium bowl, combine the water, syrup, gochugaru, gochujang, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and black pepper.

In a bowl toss together the chicken and salt.

In a 12-inch cast iron skillet, heat 1 Tbs. of oil until very hot.  Add the rice cakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes.  Remove the rice cakes to a plate and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.

Add 1 Tbs. of oil to the skillet over high heat.  When rippling, add the chicken in one layer.  Cook until browned on both sides, about 10-12 minutes.  Remove the browned chicken to a bowl.

Add the last Tbs. of oil to the skillet and turn down the heat to medium.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the jalapeno and cook another minute.

Add the sauce and the rice cakes and cook for 2 minutes at a simmer stirring constantly.  Add the chicken and cook another 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the sliced scallions.  Top with the shredded mozzarella.

Put the skillet in the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.  Remove from the oven and serve.