Chuncheon dak galbi[Chuncheon-Style Spicy Chicken]

Chuncheon-dakgalbi is a dish prepared by pan-frying chicken that has been marinated in a mixture of Gochujang and vegetables in a large round iron skillet. Known together with Makguksu (buckwheat noodles with vegetables) as a representative local dish of Chuncheon, it is now enjoyed nationwide, particularly among college students on limited budgets.

A Splendid Makeover of ‘Gyereuk’* Dakgalbi restaurants in Inje and Wontong, Gangwon Province are among the local attractions enjoyed by people visiting loved ones stationed at the military bases that populate the area. Chuncheon-dakgalbi first gained fame as an inexpensive dish favored by students. Although several opinions remain as to who exactly first created Dak-galbi, the general consensus is that it was Kim Yeong-seok, a restauranteur once specializing in pork in the Jungangno area of Chuncheon in the 1960s. Even the local government of Chuncheon has validated the story as part of the city’s official history in order to establish the city as the origin of Dakgalbi. One day in the early 1960s, Mr. and Mrs. Kim, who were then selling pork dishes in their restaurant, ran out of pork. They rushed to a nearby store, bought two chickens and cooked them in the same way they would cook pork ribs. They split and spread out the chicken meat like pork ribs, grilled and sliced it, and discovered it has a unique savory flavor. They later introduced grilled chicken marinated in a sugary sauce and it became a big hit. Dakgalbi:Value for Money The owners of Dakgalbi restaurants proudly claim that the portions, price, and taste of Dakgalbi are unrivaled. Today, Dakgalbi is reputed as a great dish that combines chicken with an assortment of healthy vegetables. It has grown popular among international diners as well. The recipe for Chuncheon-dakgalbi is as follows: Cut up and marinate a medium-sized chicken in a Gochujang sauce for seven to eight hours. Cut cabbage, sweet potato, carrot, perilla leaves and other vegetables and greens into bite-size pieces. Heat a well-oiled pan and stir-fry the chicken pieces together with the vegetables. Everyone has their favorite ingredient: some will eat the rice cake sticks (Garaetteok) first, while others go for sweet potatoes. Thus, almost every Dakgalbi restaurant offers extra ingredients that can be added to the pan according to different tastes. Once most of the pan is empty, rice is stir-fried in the remaining sauce for a finishing touch. Chicken is good for the skin and can be helpful to patients with osteoporosis. Rich in protein, it stimulates brain activity as its abundant essential amino acids increase the levels of excitatory neurotransmitters and help relieve stress. *Gyereuk When Cao Cao of China first said the word ‘Gyereuk,’ his subordinates could not figure out what he meant. The word means ‘chicken ribs’ which is not as fleshy as the leg or breast, yet a shame to just throw away. In this sense, the word ‘Gyereuk’ is used as a metaphor for something that you hesitate to abandon even though it is of little use to you.

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