Stir-fries
Dakgalbi (Spicy Stir-fried Chicken)
Marinate the chicken in a gochujang sauce, then stir-fry it with cabbage and onion over medium heat. Once the chicken is cooked through, top it with Korean leek at the end for aroma.
한국어로 보기 (Korean version)
Steps
- 1
Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the cabbage and onion into large pieces, and slice the chilies and leek on the diagonal.
Cut out the cabbage core; it's tough.
- 2
In a bowl, mix the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and mirim. Toss with the chicken and marinate for 15 minutes.
You can marinate it in the fridge, too.
- 3
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and stir-fry the marinated chicken for 8 minutes, until it starts turning white inside.
- 4
Add the cabbage, onion, and chilies and stir-fry 7 more minutes, until the chicken is white inside with no pink juices and fully cooked. Top with the leek.
Substitutions
| Instead of | Use | How |
|---|---|---|
| boneless chicken thighs | 350 g chicken breast | Breast meat dries out easily, so stir-fry it 2 minutes less. |
| cabbage | 200 g napa cabbage inner leaves | They're watery, so leave the lid off at the end to cook off the liquid. |
Storing leftovers
As it cools, the cabbage releases water and the sauce thins out. Keep it airtight in the fridge and eat within 2 days; reheat by stir-frying in a pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, cooking off the liquid until the chicken is hot all the way through. To keep it longer, freeze it in single-meal portions and use within 2 weeks.
Serve with
Rice, ssam-mu (thin pickled radish slices), and a fried egg. It's sweet and spicy, so tangy radish goes well with it.
Making more or less
For 4 servings, use a wider pan or cook in two batches so the pieces don't pile up.
Questions
Why does the dakgalbi sauce stick and burn in the pan?
A sauce with gochujang and sugar easily sticks to the bottom of the pan and burns. Keep the heat at medium or lower, and when it starts to stick, add 2 to 3 Tbsp of water and scrape the bottom as you stir. A heavy pan burns less than one with a worn nonstick coating.
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