Cooking in
Oregon
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›
I
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 stocked in Oregon
45ml
soy sauce
Not yet stocked in Oregon
30ml
rice vinegar
Your own market
20ml
sesame oil
Your own market
20g
brown sugar
Your own market
4g
garlic
minced
Your own market
3g
fresh ginger
minced
Origin · New ZealandNot yet stocked in Oregon
200g
Korean sweet potato (goguma)
julienned
Origin · FranceNot yet stocked in Oregon
150g
scallion (white and light green)
cut into 5cm pieces
Not yet stocked in Oregon
60g
cashew nuts
dry-roasted
Origin · IndiaNot yet stocked in Oregon
15ml
vegetable oil
Not yet stocked in Oregon
3g
Tellicherry black pepper
freshly ground
Your own market
15g
sesame seeds (white
toasted)
Not yet stocked in Oregon
II
The Method
1
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) →
2
Heat vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet or wok over high heat until wisps of smoke appear.
3
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).
4
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.
5
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.
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V
What to Pour
The pairing
Whisky
From Oregon
Eyrie Vineyards Original Vines Pinot Gris
Eyrie Vineyards — McMinnville · McMinnville
Not yet stocked in Oregon
Wine
Without alcohol
Coffee
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The whole pairingPillar VI
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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The working kitchen