Air Asia's Dakgangjeong

Chef Hong’s Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

All I got to say about this dish is that it doesn’t taste that bad for an airplane food. I mean, come on, y’all ought to know that most of the food being sold in-flight are mostly instant food - most of them just needed to be heated in the oven for a solid 10 minutes and, done, you got yourself a decent meal. But, this new dish that Air Asia launched on the beginning of last month seriously doesn't tasted that bad, as long as you don’t compare it to kkulddak. 

New meal, who dis?

The name’s Dakgangjeong. Although it may be a bit expensive, for a spoonful of rice and five pieces of soggy deep-fried breaded chicken bathed in sweet and spicy sauce, this dish is truly a lifesaver when you’re in a long flight, 35,000 feet up in the air, and craving for some good flavorful chicken to munch on. Happened to me today as I was cruising across Semenanjung Malaka.

Seems pretty promising, yes?

To be honest, the rice was dry and the vegetable on top didn’t do any justice to balance the dry texture of the rice, as they were also slightly parched and the least bit flavorful. The sesame seed drizzled on top of the rice didn’t do much either, when it should’ve been the one that add that extra smoky feeling into the flavor wheel. 

The sight of the Korean chicken

On the other hand, the Korean Chicken itself was overwhelmingly flavorsome. The sweetness from the sauce would just slap you right away the moment you scoop a spoonful of it into your mouth. The flavor was way too strong for me. The chicken was breaded, right, and since they have been soaked into the sweet and spicy sauce for too long they developed this soggy texture on the outside, while on the inside were just solid and slightly chewy. 

It came with this, supposedly, crackling topping of deep-fried batter

Looks crunchy, but not so much.

Fun fact! Our senses degrade the higher we are up in the air, including our sense of taste. This is why airplane food are made super flavorful. Now, this one is overwhelmingly sweet when it was indulged at 35,000 feet. Could you imagine how it would taste like on ground? Goodness.