Dakgalbi

Dakgalbi, often referred to as "cheesy rice" by foreigners, is my favorite Korean meal. It's this yummy chicken, veggie, cheese and rice dish that most foreigners are introduced to to help acquaint them to the flavor of Korean food. So here is the recipe!

Dakgalbi “Cheesy-rice” Recipe

1/4 C butter

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 TBSP fish oil*

6 boneless chicken thighs

1 small onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

3 C cabbage, chopped

3 servings of cooked white rice

1 C mozzarella cheese**

Red pepper sauce:

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 TBSP red pepper paste***

2 TBSP crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 C honey

1 TSP sesame oil

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP red wine

In a bowl, toss the chicken thighs with the fish oil. Add the butter and garlic and brown for 2 minutes on each side in a large skillet. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Pour the melted butter and garlic into a small bowl. Add all of the ingredients for the red pepper sauce and mix well.

Sauté the chopped veggies and chicken for 1 minute. Add 2 TBSP of the red pepper sauce. Sauté for 5 more minutes. Using a sharp spatula or kitchen shears, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked all the way through.

Add the cooked rice while it is still hot. You can also add 1 more TBSP of red pepper sauce if you like your food spicy. Fold the chicken/veggie mixture into the rice until mixed completely. Spread evenly across the pan. Sprinkle cheese over hot fried rice. Fold the rice over the cheese and spread evenly across the pan. Wait 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Once the red pepper sauce is made, you can keep it in the refrigerator for future use. Next time, marinate the chicken in 2 TBSP of red pepper sauce for 10-30 minutes before cooking with the veggies and rice. You can also substitute 2 packages of cooked ramen noodles for the rice.

(Makes 4 servings)

*Instead of fish oil you can use soju or any other clear alcohol.

**Any cheese variety can be used.

***If you don’t want it to be super spicy, you can substitute ketchup and/or regular hot sauce.

Feel free to contact me if you want to try out the recipe but have any questions. Also let me know if you try it out. Do you like it? Love it? Hate it? For folks not living in Korea, you can go to any Asian market to find red pepper paste (go-choo-jang) and fish oil. St. Louisans, there's a Korean/Asian market off Olive/270 in West County.