“Chicken has a sweet taste and warm temper, which makes the inner organ feel stable and warms the body,” said the "Dongui Bogam" (동의보감, 東醫寶鑑), one of the best-known medical books from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in regard to the medicinal effects of poultry.

Autumn is slowly stretching itself across the Korean Peninsula these days and it's high time to enjoy some chicken, one of the most popular sources of protein in the world.

Chairwoman of the Korea Food Foundation Yoon Sook-ja also approves of chicken, saying that, “The fall is the best season in which to eat chicken, as the chicks that were born in the spring have grown and gotten fat by the fall.”

We can enjoy chicken dishes anywhere around the world. In Korea, of course, we can find a wide range of chicken dishes. Among the many, dakgalbi or spicy stir-fried chicken is one of the popular chicken dishes, especially for tourists, along with samgyetang, chicken soup with ginseng. To eat some of the best dakgalbi dishes, many people recommend heading to the city of Chuncheon in Gangwon-do Province, a city famous for its range of dakgalbi varieties. When people think of Chuncheon, the first thing that comes to their minds is, "Dakgalbi!"

One of the most general forms of dakgalbi is simply chicken stir-fried with various vegetables and a spicy seasoning made from red pepper paste. The hot and spicy seasoning and the sweet flavor of the vegetables are in harmony and stimulate the appetite. Another must-have specialty that accompanies this dish is fried rice cooked with the leftover stir-fried chicken and other ingredients, like green onions, sesame leaves, seaweed pieces, sesame oil and kimchi. Nowadays, even rice cakes and instant noodles can be added to the delicious leftover bits of dakgalbi left in the pan.







** Ingredients
300 grams of chicken thighs
50 grams of white rice cake
400 grams (2 cups) of water
100 grams of cabbage
15 grams (1) green pepper
100 grams of sweet potatoes
70 grams or half an onion
20 grams of green onions
40 grams of sesame leaves

Seasoning:
10 grams (½ tablespoon) of red pepper paste
12 grams (2 teaspoons) of soy sauce
2 grams (½ teaspoon) of salt
12 grams (1 tablespoon) of sugar
7 grams (1 tablespoon) of ground pepper powder
30 grams of finely chopped onion
19 grams (1 tablespoon) of honey
30 grams (2 tablespoons) of refined rice wine
11 grams (2 teaspoons) of minced garlic
2 grams (½ teaspoon) of minced ginger
6 grams (1 teaspoon) of sesame salt
13 grams (1 tablespoon) of sesame oil
13 grams (1 tablespoon) of cooking oil

** Preparation
1. Remove the bones from the chicken by making cuts along the skin. Cut the meat into pieces that are 3 centimeters long horizontally and 4 centimeters long vertically.
2. Wash the cabbage and cut it into pieces that are 5 centimeters long and 1.5 centimeters wide. Wash the green pepper into diagonal pieces that are 2 centimeters long and 0.3 centimeters wide.
3. Trim and wash the sweet potato. Cut it into pieces that are 5 centimeters long, 1.5 centimeters wide and 0.7 centimeters high.
4. Trim and wash the onion. Cut it into pieces that are 5 centimeters long and 1 centimeter wide. Trim and wash the green onion. Cut it into pieces that are 3 centimeters long and 0.3 centimeters high. Wash the sesame leaves and halve them.
5. Make the spicy seasoning.









** Recipe
1. Add ⅔ of the seasoning to the chicken and marinate it all for 1 hour.
2. Put water in a pot and heat it over high. Add the rice cake to the water when it boils. Cook the rice cake for 1 minute.
3. Heat a pan with cooking oil. Add the chicken and sweet potato to the pan and stir-fry them for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add all the other ingredients -- rice cake, cabbage, green peppers, onion and remaining seasoning – to the pan and stir-fry it all for 4 minutes.
4. Add the green onion and sesame leaves to the pan and stir-fry for 1 more minute.








Managed by Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
In cooperation with the Institute of Traditional Korean Food (ITKF)
Recipe from “The Beauty of Korean Food: 100 Best-Loved Recipes”
arete@korea.kr