Dakgalbi

The story

Dakgalbi is a Korean main with a clear sense of place. Dakgalbi is strongly associated with Chuncheon in Gangwon Province and became a popular, affordable restaurant dish in the twentieth century. Despite the name, it is not usually a rib dish; boneless chicken is stir-fried on a large tabletop griddle. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 650 g boneless chicken thighscut into bite-sized pieces
• 55 g gochujang
• 2 tbsp gochugaru
• 30 ml soy sauce
• 25 g rice syrup or honey
• 18 g Garlicgrated
• 8 g gingergrated
• 10 ml toasted sesame oil
• 250 g sweet potatopeeled and sliced 5 mm thick
• 350 g green cabbageroughly chopped
• 200 g Korean rice cakes
• 80 g Spring onionscut into 5 cm lengths
• 15 ml neutral cooking oil

Method

1. Mix gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, rice syrup,

   Mix gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, rice syrup, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Toss the chicken thoroughly in two-thirds of the sauce and leave for 20 minutes.

   Tip: Use thigh meat and keep a splash of water available: steam helps the dense vegetables cook before the final high-heat reduction. Avoid: Cutting sweet potato too thick leaves it raw; adding all sauce at the start can scorch; using chicken breast easily dries out before the vegetables are ready.

2. Heat a large wide frying pan or

   Heat a large wide frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat with the oil. Arrange the sweet potato in the pan first because it needs the longest cooking time, then add the marinated chicken.

3. Cook for 5 minutes, turning the chicken

   Cook for 5 minutes, turning the chicken and sweet potato, then add the cabbage and rice cakes. Spoon over the remaining sauce and 80 ml water.

4. Cover for 6 minutes so the sweet

   Cover for 6 minutes so the sweet potato and rice cakes steam through, then remove the lid and stir-fry vigorously for 6–8 minutes until the liquid reduces to a glossy coating.

   Look for: the liquid reduces to a glossy coating

5. Add the spring onions for the final

   Add the spring onions for the final 2 minutes. Cut open the thickest chicken piece to check it is fully cooked; the sweet potato should be tender without collapsing.

6. Serve directly from the pan

   Serve directly from the pan. If making fried rice afterwards, leave a few spoonfuls of sauce and vegetables in the pan and stir cold rice through them over high heat.

   Look for: Chicken is opaque and juicy, sweet potato yields to a chopstick and the sauce clings rather than pools.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.