Another friendship that was very precious to me in Jeddah was with Jong Hee Shadix. She is Korean. We spend a great deal of time picking each other’s brains. She wants dot be as “American” as possible and I wanted to learn all I could about her homeland, Korea.
She had been a nurse before marrying Harry. In fact their story is a bit romantic. The people in Welfare P (church) did a little matchmaking with the lovely little Korean girl with the beautiful voice and Harry, the lonely American. When her contract was up at the hospital, it was arranged the she would come to America and they were married. Later they returned to Jeddah with their two young daughters, Grace and Naomi.
The first time Jong Hee invited us to dinner, she served a very American beef stew, even thought she had been to a Chef School in Korea. She wanted to make sure that Lad, Roger and Randy enjoyed their first meal at her house. She is an excellent American cook. She had learned to make all of Harry’s favorite southern dishes.
We planned a camping trip with Shadix and several other families. The other girls asked Jong Hee to bring her chicken legs as part of the evening meal. They were so good. I can’t even remember what else was served that evening as we relaxed beside the Red Sea watching a glorious sunset.
Chicken Legs in Soy Sauce
1 1/2 lb chicken
6 cups oil
6 1/2 inch pieces green onion
1 1/2 T cooking sherry
4 T soy sauce (divided use)
1/2 T sugar
1 cup water
1 potato
1 carrot
Thickening agent: 2 T cornstarch, 1 T water
Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Add 1 T soy sauce and marinate for 20 mins. Cut potato and carrot into bite size pieces.
Heat wok and add oil. Deep fry pieces of chicken for 1 minute or until golden. Remove pieces of chicken. Deep fry the potato and carrot until golden. Remove and drain.
Discard oil.
Add 1 T oil to a different pan. Stir fry onion and chicken. Add the sherry, 3 T soy sauce, sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low.
Cover and cook 10 mins. Add potato and carrot and cook for another 30 mins. The sauce will reduce to 2/3 cup. Mix together the thickening agent and slowly pour into wok while stirring.
This makes an excellent company dish because it can be made ahead and reheated before serving time. Lad says it doesn’t beat fried chicken, but it is okay once in a while.
Stay tuned for more recipes from Jong Hee and Mrs. Kim.
Fireside Stories 