Dak Galbi

Dak galbi was born in Chuncheon, a city in the mountainous Gangwon province, where it became the local specialty in the 1960s and grew into a national obsession. Chicken, cabbage, sweet potato, and rice cakes are stir-fried at the table in a fierce gochujang sauce. It is loud, communal, and always cooked in a big sizzling pan. When the chicken is gone, the classic move is to stir-fry rice in the leftover sauce, so do not fill up completely.

A sizzling pan of fire and comfort

The chicken is tender and coated in a sticky, sweet-spicy glaze, while the cabbage softens and the sweet potato turns creamy in the sauce. The rice cakes soak up the flavor until they are impossibly chewy and good. Serve it straight from the pan over rice, and let everyone take what they want. It is the kind of dinner that makes a big pan feel like the only thing you need on the table, and the heat level is entirely up to you.

Craving more? Explore all Korean Kitchen recipes.

This dish leans on the condiments covered in Beginner’s Guide to Asian Sauces & Seasonings.

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