Dak Galbi

Dak galbi is the South Korean variety of stir-fried chicken. It is a communal dish that's cooked tableside, on large cast iron skillets. Typical elements in dak galbi include various chicken cuts, cabbage, tteok rice cakes, carrots, chili peppers, and sweet potatoes. When served in restaurants, the server will bring all the ingredients and cook the dish for the guests. Occasionally, perilla leaves are incorporated into dak galbi, but the final addition is always a generous amount of spicy sauce made with spicy chili paste, chili flakes, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and onions. It is put on top of dak galbi and mixed until all the elements are completely coated in it. At the end of the meal, when there is still some food left in the skillet, a common tradition is for the server to add rice into the skillet and create an unusual variety of fried rice. Several vegetable side dishes are usually served alongside dak galbi, and lettuce or perilla leaves are occasionally used instead of utensils as crunchy wrappers. Dak galbi is now considered a Korean classic, but it originated as a frugal dish in the 1960s. Since then, it has spread from Chuncheon to other parts of South Korea. Although it can be prepared at home, it is typically eaten in specialized dak galbi restaurants.