Dak Galbi

with Richelle Antipolo

Dak Galbi Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons gochugaru (you use fine or coarse grind)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine/mirin
• 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup (or more sugar OR you can run one kiwi or half a fuji apple through the blender) 
• 2 tablespoons gochujang,
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions:

1) Mix everything until sugar has dissolved.

Richelle's Tip: It’s always best to make extra, just in case you overestimate the amount of vegetables you put in and to flavor the fried rice after. I personally quadruple the recipe because I like my dak galbi saucy. 

Lettuce Wrap

Ingredients:

• Red, Green, Butter leaf lettuce 
• 8-10 kkaennip (perilla/sesame leaves)
• Steamed rice

Dak Galbi

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken thighs
• 8 ounces green cabbage
• 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil
• 1 half of onion
• ½ cup of carrot sticks 
• 1 Korean sweet potato 
• 8 ounces tteokbokki tteok (rice cakes)
• 8 - 10 kkaennip (perilla/sesame leaves)
• 2 stalks green onions
• ½  cup shredded cheese (mozzarella) or more to taste (optional)
  

Instructions:

1)  Cut up the chicken into bitesize pieces and mix in the dak galbi sauce and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. If you have time, overnight would be better.

2)  Soak the rice cakes in cold water for about 20 minutes. Drain before using.

3)  Roughly chop up the cabbage, cut the green onions into 5 sections, cut the sweet potato into bitesize blocks, slice the onion, and you can use the whole perilla leaves.

4)  Heat up a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the cabbage, carrot, onion, sweet potato, green onion, rice cakes and perilla leaves. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally making sure nothing sticks.

5)  Create a circle in the middle and put the marinated chicken in the middle. Let the ingredients sit there for about 5 minutes, then start stirring occasionally. 

6)  Cook until sweet potatoes are tender, and chicken is cooked.

7)  Add more sauce to taste.

8)  Turn off the heat and add cheese. Enjoy! 

Pro Tip 1: If you want the perilla leaves to be more evenly distributed through the dish, I recommend cutting them into long strips (look up chiffonade cut).

Pro Tip 2: Feel free to add more dak galbi sauce if all ingredients have not been coated.

Pro Tip 3: If you want to eat this like how Koreans eat it, cook it on a portable butane stove on the middle of your table and once it’s done cooking everyone will just eat from the pan. 

Pro Tip 4: You can make this vegetarian by replacing the chicken with veggies of your choosing, however, be mindful of the vegetables water content and adjust accordingly by how much sauce you add. 

3. Building your Korean Pantry

If Korean food has struck your fancy and want to incorporate it more into your life, here are the absolute staples of creating Korean flavors that you should keep in your pantry. I will provide substitutions but if you’re already at the Asian market, why not just grab the original. 

1. Gochujang- This is the foundation of most Korean dishes and has NO substitutions. 

2. Gochugaru- You can substitute with chipotle powder or cayenne pepper powder.

3. Doenjang- You can substitute with miso but doenjang has a stronger flavor.

4. Sesame Oil- Any sesame oil will do but there is deeper flavor with the Asian sesame oil.   

5. Soy Sauce- Any standard multipurpose soy sauce will do.  

6. Mirin- Can be substituted with dry sherry or a sweet marsala wine

7. Rice Vinegar- Can be substituted with apple cider vinegar. 

8. Sesame seeds- Preferably the light-colored sesame seeds. 

9. Gim- Seaweed paper. Do not buy the wasabi flavor—that is a different flavor profile.

10. G Trinity: Garlic – Green Onions – Ginger