Dakgalbi

Method

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1. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together and mix thoroughly with the chicken. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

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2. Heat the oil in a very large, wide frying pan or a Korean flat pan over medium-high heat.

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3. Add the sweet potato slices and cook 4 minutes — they take the longest.

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4. Add the marinated chicken with all its marinade and spread it out. Cook 6 minutes without stirring much, letting it catch.

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5. Add the cabbage, onion and rice cakes and toss everything together.

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6. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, the cabbage has wilted and the sauce has reduced and darkened.

   Mark done Start 12 min timer

7. Add the spring onions and perilla and toss for 1 minute.

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8. Serve directly from the pan, letting everyone help themselves.

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9. When most of the chicken is gone, scrape the pan, add the cooked rice, crumbled seaweed and sesame oil, and fry hard for 4 minutes, pressing it into the residue. Scatter the mozzarella over and cover for 2 minutes to melt.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

Chef’s Tips

• The fried rice at the end (bokkeumbap) is not an afterthought — it is why Koreans order dakgalbi.
• Use the widest pan you own. Crowding steams the chicken instead of frying it.
• Soak the rice cakes in warm water for 20 minutes first or they stay hard in the centre.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Soju, cold
• Pickled radish (chicken-mu)
• A bowl of cold noodles to cool the palate

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot pan; the microwave makes the rice cakes tough.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.