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Dakgalbi (Korean Spicy Chicken Stir Fry)

Dakgalbi is one of Korea's great one-pan wonders — juicy chicken thigh, sweet potato, cabbage and chewy rice cakes all tossed through a fiery gochujang sauce until everything is glossy and sticky. It started life as cheap-and-cheerful pub food in the city of Chuncheon, and it's been a late-night favourite ever since.

The flavour is a brilliant balance of spicy, sweet and savoury, with the sauce caramelising in the pan as it cooks. It looks impressive but it's genuinely simple — marinate, tip everything into a hot pan and stir.

You'll find gochujang and Korean rice cakes at any Asian grocer, and most big supermarkets now stock gochujang too. If you like a cheesy finish, scatter over mozzarella at the end and let it melt.

Servings
4
Prep Time
20
mins
Cook Time
20
mins
Ingredients
14
Total Time
40
mins

Pantry bits

Gochugaru
Gochugaru
Gochujang
Gochujang
Mirin (Japanese Sweet Rice Wine)
Mirin (Japanese Sweet Rice Wine)
Sesame oil
Sesame oil
Soy Sauce
Soy Sauce

Ingredients

  • 800g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
  • 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin or Korean rice wine
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 2 tsp finely grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 300g sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin half-moons
  • 1/4 white cabbage (about 300g), roughly chopped
  • 200g Korean rice cakes (tteok), optional
  • 3 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, mirin, honey, garlic, ginger and sesame oil to make the marinade.
  2. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss until well coated. Set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes (or up to overnight in the fridge).
  3. If using rice cakes, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes to soften, then drain.
  4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-based frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken with all its marinade and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
  5. Add the sweet potato and cabbage, toss everything together and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the sweet potato is tender and the sauce has thickened.
  6. Add the rice cakes and spring onions and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the rice cakes are soft and chewy and the chicken is cooked through.
  7. Serve straight from the pan with steamed rice and lettuce leaves for wrapping.

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