Chuncheon Dak Galbi Recipe
Famous, Authentic and Delicious

Dak Galbi is a spicy chicken dish originating from the city of Chuncheon, hence the name for my recipe is Chuncheon Dak Galbi. 

It has little or no resemblance to Galbi which generally refers to short pork or beef ribs cooked on a Korean Barbecue. The reason chicken was used, was because chicken was a cheaper and more available meat. Dak Galbi is a hot spicy fried chicken dish that began in small pubs on the outskirts of Chuncheon, it quickly spread to the central districts and was a popular food for Koreans whilst drinking. It is now widespread and popular throughout South Korea and in Chuncheon its now popular to see the dish served with cheese, either on top or as a dip in a fusion styled dish

Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province, the city lies in the northeast of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. The area is renowned for its small river islands and is now a popular destination among tourists as it was featured in the popular Korean drama ‘Winter Sonata.’

I have used the following ingredients: (3-4 people) 

• 1kg Chicken thigh fillets (you can also use chicken legs)
• 1/2 Onion 
• 1/2 Large carrot 
• 1 Small sweet potato 
• 150g or ¼ of medium cabbage 
• 3 Spring onions

Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons of red pepper powder
• 3 Tablespoons of gochujang
• 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons of water
• 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• 3 Cloves of crushed garlic
• 1/2 Tablespoon of sesame oil

Vegetables

To begin making this dish cut all the vegetables into strips, almost shredded. These should be about 3 centimeters long and the spring onion sliced, put all of this in a bowl. 

Chicken

The chicken needs to be cut into chunks. If you are using chicken with bones, cut away the bones as best as possible and discard them. If boneless cut into chunks. For best flavour, you need to marinate them with sauce below and sliced onions for 30 mins to 1 hour in the fridge.

Sauce
In a separate bowl put all the ingredients for the sauce, mix this well. Depending on how spicy you like it you can vary the amount of gochujang between 2 and 4 tablespoons.

Once you have prepared the vegetables, meat and sauce. Mix this altogether in a pan and start to cook.

To cook

To cook this dish fry or stir fry in a big pan, it will take around 20-30 minutes to cook. If you have some rice cakes add these after about 15 minutes and mix well, if not don't worry it will still taste great.

Once cooked put on a plate and serve. It is traditionally served on its own as it is very filling, however if you want it to go further you can serve with some rice at home as well (see below). In pubs it would be served on a large plate in the middle of the table and would be eaten with an ice-cold beer.

After you have eaten more than half of food, you can add 2 bowls of rice and mix with leftover and fry it for 5-10 mins.

Korean Fusion

Chuncheon Dak Galbi has been influenced by other cuisines in recent times and it has become popular to add cheese.

A few minutes before you have finished cooking and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese, and allow this to melt in. Alternatively heat cheese in a bowl and dip the chicken into it.

Enjoy.

Return from Dak Galbi to Korean Recipe 

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