How to make 'Korean American' jalapeño-marinated chicken tacos with watermelon and a sweet dessert

New York Times Cooking columnist Eric Kim is sharing the food-centric story from his childhood and family heritage that became a catalyst for his debut cookbook, "Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home."

Kim, who grew up in Atlanta to Korean immigrant parents, shared two recipes with "Good Morning America" that represent how his style and flavors both pay homage to his heritage and explore new culinary traditions.

Jalapeño-Marinated Chicken Tacos with Watermelon Muchim

"The inspiration for this marinade comes from my Aunt Julia, who immigrated to Uruguay from South Korea in the 1980s. The best thing she ever taught me was how fresh your food can taste if you cook with jalapeños not just as an element of heat in a dish, but as a main ingredient itself," Kim wrote in the recipe. "Jalapeños have their own vegetal flavor that can cut through richness beautifully, providing balance. Case in point: This garlicky, chilepacked marinade dyes juicy boneless chicken thighs a glorious bright green color and tastes fabulous inside soft flour tortillas."

"To pick up the meaty flavors of the dish, I like to make a spicy relish of fresh watermelon and gochugaru to serve alongside (Jean would call this a muchim, which describes a category of dressed salads and other banchan). Whatever you call it, the cool watermelon tastes fab against the warm, spicy chicken and almost reminds me of tomatoes, but sweeter and juicier. If you’re not a fan of heat, then I would seed the jalapeños before blitzing them into the marinade—but if you’re like my family, then you’ll love this as is."

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the marinated chicken

4 large jalapeños, whole (or halved and seeded for less heat)

4 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup packed cilantro stems (from 1 large bunch)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces

For the watermelon muchim

1 cup diced watermelon

1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced into rings

1 teaspoon gochugaru

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Pinch of sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tacos

10 to 12 small (6-inch) soft flour tortillas

Cilantro leaves, for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Marinate the chicken: In a food processor or blender, blitz together the jalapeños, garlic, cilantro stems, olive oil, salt, sugar and black pepper until smooth. Add the marinade to a medium bowl, followed by the chicken, and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate, covered, for up to 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Using a slotted spoon or your fingers, remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to the lined sheet pan. Roast the chicken until it begins to brown at the edges and is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the watermelon muchim: In a small bowl, stir together the watermelon, jalapeño rings, gochugaru, vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and salt and black pepper to taste and set aside.

When you’re ready to taco up, heat the tortillas in a dry pan or over a low open flame, turning them often, until warmed through (and slightly charred if warming over a flame). Top each tortilla with a couple pieces of chicken, a spoonful of watermelon muchim and some cilantro leaves. Serve with the lime wedges.

Cook's Notes and Tips

For the Tacos

Jalapenos aren't just a source of heat, they're incredibly flavorful and are the main flavoring in this garlicky chicken marinade (inspired by my aunt Julia, who immigrated to Uruguay from South Korea back in the 80's).

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, dark meat, especially once cut into bite-size pieces, cook fast and stay juicy as all heck.

Cool, sweet watermelon is an excellent contrast to the spicy chicken.

Gochugaru is a mild korean red-pepper powder that, like jalapenos, aren't just a source of heat, but are incredibly flavorful (peppers are a fruit), adding wonderful savory notes.

These may sound spicy, but they're incredibly balanced and easy to throw together on a weeknight; you could even marinate the chicken in advance or cook off the chicken in advance and assemble the parts later.

Korean American doesn't just mean the U.S.; as evidenced by this dish, it means South America, too.

Chewy Black Sesame Rice Cake

"This simple yet regal cake tastes like a mix between songpyeon, that honeyed sesame-filled tteok served during Chuseok (the fall harvest festival), and those chewy black sesame rolls you might find at a Korean bakery," Kim explained. "The best part is you only need a whisk and a bowl to make it. I love the way the cake batter’s density forces the celestial black sesame crumble upward to form a perfect black line. This black line acts as a sweet, nutty brittle atop the squidgy vanilla base."

"The chewiness of this cake comes primarily from glutinous rice flour, often labeled as mochiko or sweet rice flour. You can get it online and at most grocery stores these days," he wrote. "But another key trick to chewiness in desserts, I find, is really whipping the eggs -- a solid 1 to 2 minutes -- to dissolve some of the sugar (like you would with French macarons) and to incorporate air, which causes baked goods like this one to rise and deflate as it cools, adding to that wonderful chewy texture. It helps, too, that this is the easiest, most straightforward cake recipe I’ve ever developed."

Makes: One 8-inch cake

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
1/4 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces (227 grams) glutinous rice flour (aka mochiko or sweet rice flour)
Powdered sugar, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mist an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, honey, and salt until fluffy and pale yellow, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, vanilla, melted butter, and sesame oil until combined.

Using a mortar and pestle (or a coffee/spice grinder), pulverize 2 tablespoons of the black sesame seeds into a rough powder. It should smell very fragrant. Add this sesame powder, along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of whole black sesame seeds, to the bowl with the egg mixture, followed by the baking powder and rice flour. Whisk to combine, then carefully pour the batter into the greased cake pan.

Bake until the top is nicely browned and cracked slightly (this is a good sign), 50 to 60 minutes. You can also insert a chopstick or toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, then you’re done.

Cool completely before dusting with the powdered sugar and slicing into wedges to serve. This cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Cook's Notes and Tips

For the Cake
Black sesame seeds have a deep, earthy, nutty flavor that underpins this cake's incredible taste.
This is a one-bowl cake, which means you throw everything into a single bowl and just whisk. there's no creaming of butter, no sifting of flour, just...dump and mix.
It's super chewy thanks to the mochiko / sweet rice flour -- this means, too, that it happens to be gluten free.

Reprinted from Korean American. Copyright © 2022 Eric Kim. Photographs copyright © 2022 Jenny Huang. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.