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Nelson · the Kootenays

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Korean · Chuncheon

Dakgalbi

Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) is Chuncheon's most famous dish — thinly sliced chicken thighs marinated in a gochujang-based sauce, stir-fried with sweet potato, cabbage, rice cakes (tteok), and green onion in a wide, flat pan at the table. The sauce caramelises in the hot pan and coats every element — the sweet potato softens, the cabbage wilts and sweetens, and the rice cakes become chewy and sauce-saturated. Finished by frying rice directly in the remaining sauce (bokkeum bap).

‹Swipe for the next dish›

Serves4

Total35 min

Within reach0of 8 in Nelson

Eight not yet within reach.

How the 8 are reached

Not yet within reach: 8 · gochujang (Korean red chili paste), soy sauce, fresh ginger, korean sweet potato (goguma), scallion (white and light green), cashew nuts, vegetable oil, sesame seeds (white

Cook

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The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

700g

chicken thigh

cut into 3cm pieces

Your own market

150g

gochujang (Korean red chili paste)

Not yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

45ml

soy sauce

Not yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

30ml

rice vinegar

Your own market

20ml

sesame oil

Your own market

20g

brown sugar

Your own market

garlic

minced

Your own market

fresh ginger

minced

Origin · New ZealandNot yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

200g

Korean sweet potato (goguma)

julienned

Origin · FranceNot yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

150g

scallion (white and light green)

cut into 5cm pieces

Not yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

60g

cashew nuts

dry-roasted

Origin · IndiaNot yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

15ml

vegetable oil

Not yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

Tellicherry black pepper

freshly ground

Your own market

15g

sesame seeds (white

toasted)

Not yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Nelson →

The Method

Combine gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a bowl; set aside.

From the canon — Gochujang is one of the great fermented condiments of the world — a thick, brick-red Korean paste made from gochugaru (Korean red chilli flakes), fermented s… Gochujang (Korean Fermented Chilli Paste — Ratio and Use) →

Heat vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet or wok over high heat until wisps of smoke appear.

Add chicken pieces, sear 4 minutes without stirring until caramelized on one side, then toss and cook 3 minutes more until cooked through (internal temp 72°C).

Pour gochujang sauce over chicken, toss to coat evenly, add sweet potato and scallion, and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently until potatoes are tender-crisp and sauce clings to ingredients.

Season with black pepper, plate in a cast-iron stone bowl (dolsot) or on a platter, top with toasted cashews and sesame seeds, serve immediately with steamed rice.

III

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where dakgalbi lives or dies is the sauce caramelisation — as the dish cooks, the gochujang and sugar in the marinade begin to caramelise against the hot pan. You should see dark, sticky patches beginning to form around the edges of the pan. Toss the ingredients through these caramelised patches rather than trying to avoid them. The caramelised gochujang is the depth in the final dish — it is the equivalent of the Maillard reaction for this preparation.

Pillar IV

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