Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, South Korea. Dakgalbi was developed in Chuncheon in the 1960s and became the signature dish of the city. The Chuncheon Myeong-dong Dakgalbi Street (a dedicated street of dakgalbi restaurants) is one of South Korea's most famous food destinations.
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).
- Sichuan mala chicken stir-fry (spicy chicken with fermented bean paste — the Chinese parallel); Thai larb gai (spiced minced chicken — the Thai spiced chicken tradition); Japanese tori no teriyaki (teriyaki-glazed chicken — the Japanese sweet-savoury glazed chicken parallel).
Korean lager (Hite or Cass) or makgeolli (milky rice wine) — dakgalbi is a drinking food (anju) in Korean culture. The spicy, fatty, caramelised chicken and the cold, refreshing beer are the Chuncheon pairing.