Dak galbi
닭갈비: Chuncheon's spicy stir-fried chicken with cabbage, sweet potato and rice cakes
Chuncheon, a lakeside city in Gangwon province, is so proud of dak galbi that it has a whole lane of restaurants and a yearly festival for it. There, a waiter stir-fries the marinated chicken, cabbage, sweet potato and rice cakes on a huge round iron pan in the middle of your table. When the pan is nearly empty, rice is fried in the leftover sauce to finish the meal. This version is made in a large frying pan or wok at home. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of curry powder in the marinade is a Chuncheon trick; you won't taste curry, but the sauce tastes deeper.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the marinade
For the pan
For the fried-rice finish (optional)
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste), 2 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru), 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 ½ tbsp sugar, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp mild curry powder and ¼ tsp black pepper in a bowl. Add 1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, stir to coat, and leave for 10 minutes while you cut the vegetables.
10 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a very large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Spread 1 sweet potato over the base and cook for 3 minutes, turning once. Common mistake: cutting the sweet potato thick or adding it with the cabbage. It needs a head start and thin slices, or it is still hard when the chicken is done.
3 minStep 3: Add 10 ½ oz white cabbage and 1 onion, then spread the chicken and all its marinade on top.
1 minStep 4: Stir-fry for 8 minutes, scraping the base, until the cabbage starts to wilt and the chicken turns opaque. Add a splash of ½ cup water whenever the sauce starts to catch.
8 minStep 5: Add 7 oz Korean rice cakes (garae-tteok) and the rest of the water, and keep stir-frying for 7 minutes, until the rice cakes are soft and chewy, the sweet potato is tender and the chicken reaches 165°F/165 °F in the thickest piece with clear juices.
7 minStep 6: Toss in 3 spring onions and 8 perilla leaves for the last minute and serve straight from the pan.
1 minStep 7: To finish the Chuncheon way, leave a few spoons of sauce and some cabbage in the pan. Add 10 ½ oz cooked rice, 2 tbsp roasted seaweed flakes and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, chop everything together with a spatula and press it flat over a medium heat for 3 minutes, until crisp on the bottom.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dak galbi take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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