Rice Table

Su Scott · Rice Table

Chicken skewers have long been one of the most popular Korean street foods. Perfectly bite-sized strips of dark meat (usually leg meat) are grilled over charcoal, then brushed with a lick of sauce, the recipe for which is the owners’ well-kept secret. Chefs get quite theatrical blow-torching the top of the skewers while the undersides grill slowly over the charcoal heat to create what literally translates as ‘fire taste’ (bul mat). The glaze I use here isn’t spicy, rather it is balanced with sweet and umami saltiness that eats pleasantly. If you want to get ahead, it can be made in advance and will keep for a few days in the fridge. Crispy chicken skin crumbs make exceptionally good seasoning salt; the trouble is, they are actually just as good straight from the oven, which makes it hard to resist nibbling on them while waiting for the skewers to cook.