My favourite meal, Dakgalbi is one of the most popular foods that people are searching for on this blog. I posted about it 4 months ago and have gained a good reputation. I have been busy cooking new dishes every day, so I haven’t had the chance to have my favourite meal for nearly three months now. So since Dakgalbi is so popular amongst you and me, I thought I will do another post about it, but give it a more decent taste and mouth watering pictures. How does that sound?
I was so thrilled to try this out again and very happy with the result I got. OK, I will be honest here, my sister thinks that it wasn’t as good as the one from Dakgalbi street in Chuncheon, Gangwon province where it originates from, but come on! I am an amateur cook and if you compare my food with professionals that is Not Fair!! 
Though we all agreed that it was definitely better than some of the local restaurants, so I want you to try it out, and tell me what you think of it. I will appreciate your comments even if you say something mean. 
- Recommended equipment – Portable gas burner and double handled wok
Ingredients for 4 people
(Expected Prep time – 1 hour 15 minutes, Cooking time – 5 to 10 minutes)
-Meat and the first seasoning
- Chicken Breast 500 g
- Refined rice wine – 2 tbsp
- Ginger powder – ¼ tsp
- Pepper 3 sprinkles
-Marinade sauce (mix these well in a bowl.)
- Gochujang – 3 tbsp
- Minced garlic – 1 tbsp
- Korean chili powder – 1 tbsp
- Korean soy sauce – 1 tbsp
- Dark brown sugar – 1 tbsp
- Korean yellow curry powder – 1 tsp
- ½ an grated onion
-Side ingredients
- 1 medium size potato (using sweet potato is more authentic, though I forgot to buy one, so I added potato instead)
- ⅓ of a medium carrot
- ¼ of a small cabbage
- 11 perilla leaves (so called sesame leaves, ggaennip)
- Fresh rice cakes (Garaeddeok) 400g (It is a lot, but we love the rice cakes. If you are using pre packaged ones, soak them in cold water for 20 minutes before you use them.)
Prep
- Rinse the chicken in cold water.
- Cut it into mouthful pieces.
- Put it into a bowl, then add the first seasoning on top.
- Soak for about 15 minutes.
- While you are waiting, wash the vegetables, peel the skin off as needed.
- Thin slice the potato (or sweet potato), carrot, cabbage, and perilla leaves.
- Add the seasoning sauce into the chicken bowl, mix it well, and leave it for 1 hour.
Cooking
- Pre-heat the wok for about 20 seconds.
- Put some olive oil in the wok.
- Put all the vegetables into the wok and add the meat on top.
- Stir them well while it is cooking and you can start to eat when it is cooked.
Enjoying Dakgalbi the restaurant way at home
- Eat while Dakgalbi is cooking. (So you need to have a portable gas burner and double handled wok or nonstick pot) Eating a warm meal always tastes the best.
- Prepare some lettuce and perilla leaves to wrap the cooked Dakgalbi. (I forgot to buy them, I don’t know what I was thinking.)
- When you are nearly finished the meal, you can add some udong noodles or rice and stir fry them. (I used rice for us – 1½ cups of steamed rice, some finely chopped Kimchi, a dash of sesame oil, some ripped seasoned laver – I didn’t add any sauce, but if you want you can add some gochujang)
Some questions you might ask
1) When do I need to add some noodles or rice?
- If you have little bits of vegetables and meat left in the wok at the end of the meal, then it is the time to add them. This is a picture of the right time. Michael insisted that I shouldn’t post this picture, because it doesn’t look very appetizing, but to make it clearer I am sharing with you. 
2) Is 500 g chicken really enough for 4 people?
- Well, while I was eating Dakgalbi, I thought ‘I wish I had added more chicken’. Though since I added a lot of rice cakes, it was very filling for 4 people, but if you going to add less rice cakes than I did, then Do add more chicken.
3) Is it OK to use a portable electric burner?
- I am not that fond of electric burners in general. If it is the only burner available for you, then I guess you can, but I always prefer gas burners. They heat faster and are easier to control.
Related Posts
Marinated Chicken Stir Fry with Gochujang sauce (Dakgalbi in Korean)
Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Stew
Related posts:
[...] you want to try an make your own Dakgalbi check out the restaurant here at MyKoreanKitchen. PHP Freelancer Tags: "Dak Galbi", Budget travel, Budget Travelers Sandbox, Dakgalbi, food, [...]
71. Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your web site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you¡¦ve on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for extra articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched all over the place and just couldn’t come across. What a perfect web-site.
[...] to the North Korean border, over the South Korean Peace Dam and into Chuncheon for some much needed Dalk-Galbi. [...]
Made this about two weeks ago – it was absolutely delicious! I am now addicted to it! It’s so versatile too! You can use it as a topping on pizza or as a filling in wraps… Soooo good! Thank you for sharing!
[...] Alkuperäinen ohje löytyy täältä. [...]
[...] via Delicious! Dakgalbi (Marinated Chicken in Spicy Sauce), Version 2 | My Korean Kitchen. [...]
[...] supermarket that sells the various ingredients (such as gochujang) that you’ll need. One recipe I found comes from an amateur Korean cook who hosts a bog titled ‘My Korean [...]
[...] supermarket that sells the various ingredients (such as gochujang) that you’ll need. One recipe I found comes from an amateur Korean cook who hosts a bog titled ‘My Korean [...]
How do I sign up for your website?
Lawrence
I’m not sure I understand the “I’ve read and re-read and nowhere do I mention Seasame oil. That would actually be quite rank.” comment. Why would that be quite rank (and I am asking only because I’m curious if there is a health concern I’m not aware of – not to be smart). My mother is Korean and we always use Sesame oil in our food when cooking. The Dakgalbi recipe my mother taught me is chicken marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, green onion, onion, carrot, kochukaru, garlic, black pepper and gochuchang. To cook, you heat a large pan and then cook it all up as is. We never add oil to the pan (and it doesn’t stick) – but there is sesame oil in the marinade. You get a nice broth when it’s all cooked up that can be poured over your rice (like my dad prefers) or used to cook rice or noodles in as suggested above. As far as frying foods are concerned (like korean pancakes) my mom has always used Olive Oil. I’ve never heard of Evvo but I am curious about it now so I will search online to learn more about it. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe!!!!I’m a newbie cook and I don’t think I can ever make such great Korean food without your help!
Just as a correction to Eric’s post, Korean cooks rarely use sesame oil anymore in their cooking. Evvo seems to be the prominent cooking oil for “health reasons” as Koreans are quite to adopt without thinking about the implications to Korean cooking. WTF. Whatever, but many Korean cook still put a teaspoon or so of sesame oil in at the very end or before serving, so there is that downhome Korean taste. Thank God.
As for the chicken breast, I agree that actually you should purchase a whole chicken, hack it to pieces like a bad ex-boyfriend and marinade for an hour in the bloody mess of marinade you’ve just made.
Also, Koreans (at least where I’m from) stir fry in batches, not altogether. (i.e. chapchae). So, if you have time, stir fry the the hard veggie bits first (sweet potatoes – purple ones needing double stir fry time), carrots, and potatoes).
Finally, the whole concoction of veggies should cool a little b/c if you add cold chicken to a hot pan and hot veggies, your chicken will end up with a hard, dry foam-like texture rather than chewy, moist pieces.
Yeah, that’s it.
Just as a correction to Jenny’s correction of Eric’s post. I’ve read and re-read and nowhere do I mention Seasame oil. That would actually be quite rank. I said Soy bean oil or Canolla oil, I’ve been in Korea for 9 years and DKB is my main meal. Now if you want to be healthier and not get that lingering olive oil taste I recommend using Grape seed oil. All the benifits of olive oil withou out the taste. Also has a higher smoking point therefore is more stable for table top cooking.
But whatever you do don’t use seasame oil as you main oil you will ruin your dish. Seasame has much too strong a taste. I wouldn’t even put a little on in the end. It doesn’t belong in DKB….
Hi, Thanks or the recipe. It is pretty close to what you’ll find in the local shops. However, as you sister pointed out, it’s not 100%. I thionk there are 2 elements that are causing the slight difference.
1st- The use of chicken breast, Here in Korea you would not get an all white meat DakKalbi. Yes boneless, but there would be some skin and some brown meat in the mix. This would have a major impact on the flavor.
2nd- You would not find people using olive oil in korea. Probably soybean oil or canolla. If you are worried about the saturated fats in those oils. I recommend grapeseed oil. It doesn’t have the lingering taste of olive oil.
I did the recpie as is and am thuroughly satisfied with the results but I will be tweaking it in the ways mentioned above next time. And I am quite convnced it will be spot on!
Let me know what you think and Thanks again for the recipe!
Eric…
Well, this is good stuff, but I think I prefer Recipe 1.
I’m a big fan of dalkgalbi, and cook it about once a month (using your recipe 1). Interestingly, I went to the dalkgalbi street in Chuncheon about a week ago, and ate in one of the more famous places. It was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. The best I’ve had is near the small park behind Hyundai Department Store in Sinchon (the park where the lesbians meet). There’s always a guy standing outside yelling for customers, and the place is always packed.
I have been craving for this dish since I came back from Seoul…..and thank GOD I found your site, this is the closest I have found so far! Now I just need to find somewhere in Singapore that sells some of the KR ingredients and I am going to COOK! THanks so much!
yah its nice to prefare a lunch delicious food i love it.
i hope that i know how to cook that will i would like to thanks the chief of that food tnx and more powers
I made this as “Dubu Galbi” for my veggie pals…Just used chunks of tofu that had been “toughened up” by searing in a pan or under a broiler. Worked great! I also used Indian curry…I think it made the taste a bit more spicy and complex. Thanks for this site! I love making all this ‘restaurant food’ at home.
Hi Sue! I can’t wait to try this recipe. One question, though — when I lived in Korea, my friend always kept baekhwa in the kitchen for cooking. Can I use that instead of the hankeunsul? Or are they the same thing?
[...] rib meat). Well, today while browsing the forums over on Dave’s, someone posted a link to a recipe over on the My Korean Kitchen [...]
One last question they serve this soup that has little pieces of what looks like chopped up scallions before the meal. Do you have a name and recipe for that as well.
I am so excited to make this for my boyfriend. I lived in Korea for about a year. I think I ate at this place in Chuncheon at least every weekend. I LOVED LOVED it. I have been looking online for a recipe and stumbled acrossed your site. The pictures look just like the food I ate in Korea. My question for you, is what kind of lettuce should I use? I am not a fan of Iceberg (tastes watered down) However, the lettuce they used in Korea was awesome. I couldn’t get enough of it. I just don’t know what kind it is. THANK YOU so much for posting this recipe. I can’t wait to try it. I miss the food so much. Your recipe makes it look easy and managable.
wow! looks great!^^
~mmmmm….~ (^-^)
Marian, Korean curry powder is called “ì¹´ë ˆ”. I think using other kinds of curry powder might be OK too. However, Korean curry package contains low percentage of real curry and is added some salt as well. Just keep that in your mind.
sue, question what do u call the korean curry powder in korean? i tried asking the grocery they didnt seem familiar. will using the normal curry powder turn out a different taste? i tried the on in chuncheon when i went to korea, it was really yummy unforgettable taste! one of my favorites. ill have to make this. hahaha ^^
Hi Sue
I’ve tried your “Dakgalbi” & “Dakgalbi Version 2″ recipes and they were delicious. We LOVE the rice cakes, first time we’ve tasted them. Thanks for the tip on soaking them prior to cooking. We’ll have to try the “Sugar High, Stir Fried Rice Cake and Noodles (Rabokki)”, it sounds yum!
Thanks for posting your many recipes. I’ve tried a quite a few now and they are all so tasty. Thanks to Chef Sue!
Hi Galvestonian,
That’s great! You are a good man.
[...] a dakalbi recipe you can make at home, check out My Korean Kitchen. It’s a great Korean food blog I found a couple days ago that has recipes for Korean food [...]
I made this for my wife’s birthday dinner Saturday evening. It turned out GREAT!!! And she loved it. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Scott, UK might be a bit difficult to find these ingredients than in the US, though it really depends on which part of UK you live. Good luck!
Mary, That is great! Tasty Dakgalbi is my favourite food in the world. By the way, didn’t you get drunk from that amount of soju?
Kat, It is very delicious. Since lots of Japanese tourists in Korea have been to dakgalbi street, this food should be popular in Japan too.
simcooks, Well, it isn’t as spicy as you think.
Melting Wok, for this meal we use red chili paste (gochujang), and chili powder. I don’t use any kimchi. I’m not sure what you mean about what you saw at the market.
pablopabla, Although I haven’t watched many episodes of Dae jang Geum, I do appreciate your compliment.
Reading your blog is like watching Dae Jang Geum.
yummy, spicy korean chili peppers and curry..wow !
By the way, I was at the korean market and I looked and looked and couldn’t find the difference between the kimchi red chili peppers mix in the plastic bag and the red chili peppers for cooking this sorta dish, are they kind of the same ? Thanks for sharing, cheers 
The sauce looks very spicy! I need cold water!
ooh, that looks delicious.
Sue
Thanks for stopping by my site and letting me know you’re out there. I’ll have to stop in often for recipes!
Looks great. I just made a dak galbi dish (inspired by your orginal), I’m calling it Soju Dak Galbi because I marinated my chicken in half a cup of soju. I also added ramyeon to mine. I’m trying to recreate the dak galbi I had at Cock’s in Gwang-ju. Aside from your, it was the best I’ve ever tasted.
Sounds good – but now I’ve got to try and find all of those complicated ingredients!