Dak Galbi

 닭갈비 | Spicy Stir Fried Chicken 

26 years. That’s how long it had been since I last visited Korea. So when my husband and I went to Phuket for our honeymoon, we decided to stop by Korea for about a week, on our way back. I spent weeks scouring the internet and compiling a list of everywhere I wanted to go and eat because I knew that even a week would not be sufficient enough for me to indulge in all things "Korea".

As soon as we landed, our very first stop was a place in Gangnam called Yoo Ga Nae. It was a popular restaurant that only served one item on their menu: Dak Galbi.

The table had a huge, round, tabletop griddle and the waitress brought out a large plate of vegetables and rice cakes along with marinated chicken and handed us our bibs. (Basically, anytime you're given a bib prior to your meal, you know you're about to stuff your face with something delicious.) She then grilled up all the vegetables, rice cakes and chicken and topped it with mozzarella. Mozzarella?! Yes, who knew cheese paired so well with spicy food? But the experience did not end there. At the end of the meal, she brought our a bowl of rice, kimchi and perilla leaves and added it to our leftovers to make the most amazing fried rice. It was so good, I remember telling my husband I wish I could bring the franchise over to the states. Clearly, that never happened, but I did bring it back to my kitchen!

I was so glad when I recently got a request for a Dak Galbi post because it brought back all the feels. I went back and found this photo of when I got to enjoy my first Dak Galbi meal in Korea.

It’s definitely a different experience eating it at home, but it still tastes just as amazing!

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 lbs chicken thighs
• 1 small Korean sweet potato
• 1/2 small head green cabbage
• 1 small white onion
• 8-10 perilla leaves
• 1 small carrot ( I used half of the large one pictured above)
• 3 oz. Korean rice cakes
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Chicken Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang)

Directions: 

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.

Cut chicken thighs into bite size pieces and pour sauce over the chicken, making sure the chicken is evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Prepare vegetables by cutting onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and green onions into bite size pieces. Cut perilla leaves into 1/2" thick strips.

Place rice cakes in a bowl and cover with cold water for 5 minutes. Drain water. 

In a large, deep pan, add a tablespoon of sesame oil to coat the bottom. Add all the vegetables and rice cakes on medium heat. 

Add marinated chicken on top of the vegetables and cover for about 2 minutes.

Mix chicken and vegetables together until vegetables are tender and chicken is throughly cooked. Sprinkle mozzarella and serve.

Traditionally, this meal is meant to be enjoyed at the table as the Dak Galbi cooks. This way, once the meal is finished, you can add rice, kimchi and perilla leaves to the remaining leftovers to make fried rice. 

Mix well & dig in!!!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Su