Spicy and Sweet! Tender Dakgalbi
A Delicious and Hearty Dakgalbi Recipe to Enjoy at Home
Experience the wonderful harmony of crisp, fresh cabbage, tender and savory chicken thigh meat, and a mouthwatering spicy-sweet sauce. This Dakgalbi is an absolute rice-lover’s dream!
Main Ingredients- 500g Chicken Thigh (or Tenderloin)
- 6 Fresh Perilla Leaves
- 1/2 Onion
- 2 cups Cabbage
- 2 Green Onions
- 8 Tteokbokki Rice Cakes
- 1 Small Sweet Potato
- 3 Tbsp Cooking Oil
Dakgalbi Sauce- 1.5 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Mirin (or Cooking Wine)
- 1 Tbsp Ginger Juice
- 4 Tbsp Oligosaccharide (or Corn Syrup)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1.5 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- Pinch of Black Pepper
- 3 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean Chili Flakes)
- 4 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste)
- 1.5 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Mirin (or Cooking Wine)
- 1 Tbsp Ginger Juice
- 4 Tbsp Oligosaccharide (or Corn Syrup)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1.5 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- Pinch of Black Pepper
- 3 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean Chili Flakes)
- 4 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, gently rinse the chicken thigh meat (or tenderloin) under cold running water. Trim off any visible white tendons or excess fat, then cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. If you’re concerned about any gamey smell, you can soak the chicken in milk for a short while and then rinse it before cooking. However, with the generous amount of delicious sauce in this recipe, you won’t need to worry about any unwanted odors!
Step 2
Let’s prepare the vegetables to stir-fry along with the chicken. Slice the chewy tteokbokki rice cakes and the sweet potato into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the onion. Chop the crisp cabbage into larger pieces and slice the green onions diagonally. Lastly, wash the fragrant perilla leaves thoroughly.
Step 3
Now, it’s time to make the delectable Dakgalbi sauce! In a bowl, combine 1.5 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp ginger juice, 4 Tbsp oligosaccharide, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 Tbsp oyster sauce, a pinch of black pepper, 3 Tbsp gochugaru, and 4 Tbsp gochujang. Whisk everything together until the sauce is well combined and set it aside.
Step 4
Place the cut chicken thigh meat (or tenderloin), sweet potato, and tteokbokki rice cakes into a bowl. Pour about half of the prepared Dakgalbi sauce over them and mix well with your hands, ensuring everything is evenly coated.
Step 5
Heat a pan over medium heat and add 3 Tbsp of cooking oil. Add the marinated chicken, sweet potato, and rice cakes to the pan and begin stir-frying. It’s important to maintain a medium heat; cooking on high heat might cook the chicken too quickly while leaving the sweet potato and rice cakes undercooked.
Step 6
Once the sweet potato and rice cakes are somewhat cooked, add the chopped cabbage and sliced onion. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook slowly. This allows the sweetness from the vegetables to release and meld beautifully with the Dakgalbi sauce.
Step 7
Cabbage tastes wonderfully crisp when it’s slightly undercooked, so don’t worry about it being too soft. When the Dakgalbi is almost ready, add the sliced green onions and fragrant perilla leaves. Stir-fry quickly to combine everything. Once the aromatic essence of the perilla leaves has infused into the dish, turn off the heat and enjoy your delicious homemade Dakgalbi! Your fantastic Dakgalbi is complete!
