“It is quite likely I’m chasing perfection that doesn’t really exist. In my vivid dreams, this fried chicken tastes intently sweet but not sickly,” says Su Scott, author of Rice Table.

“Deep nutty background sweetness lingers like an intense pull of stupid first love that you fail to resist, and is only accentuated by the heat of chilli and umami salinity that hugs the fat. It’s not claggy – smothered in thick paste of gochujang – but rather softly candied, like a buttery caramel-coated popcorn.

“I am unsure if such a glorious perfection of taste can be replicated. But I keep going back for more, no longer sure if I am craving the chicken or my home so many miles away.”

Korean fried chicken

Ingredients:(Serves 4)

For the chicken:600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3cm cubes2tbsp sake1tsp golden granulated sugar½tsp celery salt½tsp freshly cracked black pepperVegetable oil, for frying

For the glaze:60g jocheong (Korean rice syrup)2tbsp tomato ketchup (catsup)2tbsp water1tbsp golden granulated sugar1tbsp soy sauce1tbsp gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)3 garlic cloves, minced1tbsp vegetable oil1tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), ground to a fine powder

For the batter:50g plain flour70g rice flour20g cornflour150ml cold water

To finish:Toasted white sesame seeds

Method:

1. Place the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl, along with the sake, sugar, celery salt and black pepper. Massage well to combine, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for one hour.

2. To make the glaze, combine the jocheong, ketchup, water, sugar, soy sauce, gochujang and garlic in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.

3. Remove the chicken from the fridge, so it comes back to room temperature before you cook it.

4. Put one tablespoon of vegetable oil and the gochugaru in a cold wok or sauté pan over a low heat to warm up, stirring constantly to prevent the gochugaru from burning – a flat flexible spatula is great for this. In a few minutes, the oil will change in colour to a deep red and the gochugaru will start to bloom. Swiftly add the glaze mixture and increase the heat to rapidly bubble for about two minutes to thicken the sauce enough to coat the back of the spoon, like a runny custard, but not yet sticky like wet glue. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. Prepare the wet batter by combining the plain flour, 30 grams of the rice flour and the cornflour. Add the water gradually to the mix and whisk to break up any lumps.

6. Toss the chicken thoroughly with the remaining 40 grams of rice flour then add the chicken to the batter. Give it a good mix by hand.

7. Prepare a cooling rack set over a roasting tray.

8. To fry the chicken, fill a saucepan suitable for deep-frying with vegetable oil. It should be deep enough to submerge the chicken pieces but only come three-quarters of the way up the pan while you are frying. Heat the oil to 160°C. Carefully lower in a few of the battered chicken pieces and fry for two to three minutes until the chicken is cooked through but only pale golden, transferring onto the cooling rack when done to allow the steam to escape. Don’t put too many pieces in at once. Continue until you have cooked all the chicken. This first fry is to cook the chicken through, so it shouldn’t have too much colour. Check for doneness.

9. Once the first fry is done, increase the heat to 175°C and fry for the second time for two to three minutes until they’re golden and crispy. Work in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan. When the batches are ready, transfer them onto the cooling rack, so any excess oil drains off. Don’t be tempted to sit the chicken on kitchen paper as it will just steam and lose its crispiness.

10. Put the wok or sauté pan with the sauce over a medium heat to warm up. As soon as the edges start to bubble up, toss in the fried chicken while energetically moving the pan around to glaze. In a brief moment, the sauce will coat the chicken and thicken around the crusts. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Rice Table by Su Scott is published by Quadrille on March 30, priced £27. Photography by Toby Scott.