PREPARE THE BROTH

Peel and cut the white onion in half. Peel the carrot and cut into 8 parts. Wash the leeks to remove the dirt and cut it into 3 parts. Peel the garlic, leave it whole. Cut the celery into 1-inch pieces.

Add the chicken breast, onion, leeks, celery, carrots, and garlic to a pot with 5 cups of water. Bring to boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium. Cover and continue to boil for 10 minutes.
While waiting for the broth… Step#2

Wash and cut the leeks into 2-inch pieces. Peel and chop one clove of garlic. Peel the white onion and slice thinly. Soak the dried shitake mushroom in room temperature water until hydrated and slice into 1/4-inch thick pieces.

Turn off the heat and transfer the chicken to a bowl or plate. Strain the broth into another bowl. Discard the vegetables. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones. Shred the chicken into chunks and set aside.

In the clay pot, heat the sesame oil over low heat until hot. Be careful not to reach smoking hot. Once hot, immediately turn off the heat and add the gochugaru or Korean chili powder. Stir gently until the oil turns red and the chili powder have a paste texture.

Note: Do not burn the chili powder as it will taste bitter. If it accidentally did, discard it and repeat step#4

Add the broth in the pot and give it a little mix. Leave at least an inch from the brim to avoid overflowing when you boil the rest of the ingredients.

Add the vegetables (leeks, mushroom, white onion, and garlic) followed by the shredded chicken.
Add the gochujang and dilute it in the broth. Then add the soy sauce, fish sauce, and corn syrup.
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper according to taste. Add the mung bean sprouts and cook for another minute.

Serve hot in a pot with a side of cooked rice.