The Drama: When Strength Comes in Small Packages
The year was 2017, and Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (힘쎈여자 도봉순) proved that the best things come in tiny, superhuman packages.
Park Bo-young stars as Do Bong Soon, a woman who looks delicate but possesses the strength to flip cars and punch through walls—a gift passed down through generations of women in her family. When she becomes the bodyguard for Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik), a gaming company CEO with a stalker problem, romantic comedy chaos ensues.
But beyond the superpowers and the swoon-worthy moments, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is fundamentally about appetites. Bong Soon eats. A lot. Despite her tiny frame, she devours food with the enthusiasm of someone who burns thousands of calories punching bad guys through walls. The drama’s food scenes became legendary—watching Bong Soon inhale bowls of rice, attack fried chicken, and demolish any dish in front of her became as entertaining as the action sequences.
And if any dish matches Bong Soon’s personality, it’s dakgalbi—spicy, bold, and absolutely not to be underestimated.
The History of Dakgalbi
What Is Dakgalbi?
Dakgalbi (닭갈비) is a spicy stir-fried chicken dish that originated in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The name combines dak (닭) meaning chicken and galbi (갈비) meaning ribs—though the dish uses boneless chicken thigh meat, not actual ribs. The name reflects the cooking style: meat cooked on a flat grill at the table, similar to how traditional galbi is prepared.
The dish features bite-sized chicken pieces marinated in a gochujang-based sauce, stir-fried with cabbage, sweet potato, rice cakes, and other vegetables. It’s typically cooked tableside on a large round griddle, with diners gathering around to watch the sizzling spectacle.
From Student Food to National Treasure
Dakgalbi emerged in the 1960s in Chuncheon, originally as cheap sustenance for university students and soldiers stationed in the area. The story goes that street vendors began selling spicy chicken as an affordable alternative to expensive beef galbi.
| Era | Development |
|---|---|
| 1960s | Street vendors in Chuncheon create the original dakgalbi |
| 1970s-80s | Dakgalbi restaurants proliferate along “Dakgalbi Street” in Chuncheon |
| 1990s | Cheese dakgalbi variation emerges, attracting younger diners |
| 2000s-Present | Dakgalbi becomes a national favorite, exported globally |
Today, Chuncheon’s Myeongdong Dakgalbi Street is a pilgrimage site for food lovers. The alley is lined with competing restaurants, each claiming the most authentic recipe, each drawing crowds who come specifically for this fiery dish.
The Cheese Revolution
In the early 2000s, someone had the genius idea of adding mozzarella cheese to the edge of the dakgalbi griddle. When melted, the cheese creates long, stretchy strings that diners wrap around bites of spicy chicken. This fusion of Korean heat and Western comfort became an instant phenomenon.
Cheese dakgalbi transformed the dish from a local specialty into a social media sensation. The visual of pulling cheese strings became irresistible to photograph and share, introducing dakgalbi to a new generation of eaters.
The Recipe: Chuncheon-Style Dakgalbi
This recipe recreates the authentic Chuncheon experience. The key is the sauce—a perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savory that coats everything it touches.
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Vegetables
- 500g boneless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1/4 medium cabbage, chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato, sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced
- 2 green onions, cut into 5cm pieces
- 1/2 cup rice cakes (tteok) Amazon →
- Perilla leaves (kkaennip) (optional, 5-6 leaves)
- Mozzarella cheese (optional, for cheese dakgalbi)
For the Sauce
- 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) Amazon →
- 2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) Amazon →
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine (or mirin)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (secret ingredient!)
Equipment
- Large flat griddle or skillet (wide enough to spread ingredients)
- Two spatulas for mixing
- Portable burner (for tableside cooking, optional) Amazon →
Video Tutorial
Video by 백종원 PAIK JONG WON - Korea’s most trusted chef
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Sauce In a large bowl, combine gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, minced garlic, sesame oil, black pepper, and curry powder. Mix well until smooth. This sauce is the heart of dakgalbi—it should be deeply red and slightly thick.
Step 2: Marinate the Chicken Add the chicken pieces to the sauce bowl. Mix thoroughly, ensuring every piece is coated. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight in the refrigerator for deeper flavor).
Step 3: Prepare the Vegetables While the chicken marinates, prepare all vegetables. Cut cabbage into large pieces, slice sweet potato thinly (about 5mm—they need to cook through), slice onions, and cut green onions into segments.
Step 4: Arrange on the Griddle Heat a large flat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of oil. Spread the marinated chicken in the center and arrange vegetables around it. Add the rice cakes among the vegetables.
Step 5: Cook and Mix Let everything cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to develop some char. Then, using two spatulas, begin mixing and flipping the ingredients. Continue cooking and mixing for 10-15 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables are tender but still have some bite.
Step 6: Add Cheese (Optional) If making cheese dakgalbi, push all the cooked ingredients to the center. Create a ring of shredded mozzarella around the edge of the pan. Let it melt for 1-2 minutes. Dip chicken pieces into the melted cheese before eating.
Step 7: Make Fried Rice (Optional) When most of the dakgalbi is eaten, add 2 cups of cooked rice to the remaining sauce on the griddle. Add a drizzle of sesame oil and some dried seaweed flakes. Stir-fry until the rice is coated and slightly crispy. This bokkeumbap (fried rice) is the traditional finale to a dakgalbi meal.
FAQ
Why is dakgalbi associated with Chuncheon?
Dakgalbi was invented in Chuncheon in the 1960s as affordable street food. The city embraced the dish as its signature food, developing an entire street of dakgalbi restaurants. Today, “Chuncheon dakgalbi” is a protected regional specialty, and the city hosts an annual Dakgalbi Festival.
What makes dakgalbi different from other Korean chicken dishes?
Unlike fried chicken (chimaek) or braised chicken (jjimdak), dakgalbi is stir-fried at high heat with vegetables. The cooking method creates a mix of textures: slightly charred chicken, caramelized sauce, and tender-crisp vegetables. It’s also traditionally cooked and eaten communally at the table.
Can I make dakgalbi without gochujang?
Gochujang is essential for authentic dakgalbi flavor. If you can’t find it, you can substitute with a mixture of miso paste, Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru), and honey, but the taste will be different. Asian grocery stores and online retailers typically stock gochujang.
What’s the secret ingredient in restaurant dakgalbi?
Many Chuncheon restaurants add a small amount of curry powder to their sauce—about 1 tablespoon per batch. This unexpected ingredient adds depth and warmth without making the dish taste like curry. Other secrets include using very fresh chicken thighs and cooking over high heat for proper caramelization.
How spicy is dakgalbi?
Traditional dakgalbi is quite spicy. To reduce heat, use less gochugaru and more gochujang (which is milder). You can also increase the amount of vegetables, which absorb and distribute the heat. The cheese variation also tempers spiciness.
What side dishes go with dakgalbi?
Dakgalbi is typically served with fresh lettuce leaves for wrapping, pickled radish (danmuji), and a cooling cucumber salad. Some restaurants also provide a light soup. The fried rice at the end serves as both a side dish and the meal’s finale.
Why do people eat fried rice after dakgalbi?
The bokkeumbap (fried rice) tradition started as a way to not waste the flavorful sauce left in the pan. By adding rice and stir-frying it with the remaining sauce, you create a second dish that many consider even better than the main event. It’s considered incomplete to leave a dakgalbi restaurant without eating the fried rice.
Make It Tonight
There’s a reason Strong Woman Do Bong Soon became a phenomenon. It reminded us that strength isn’t always what it looks like from the outside. That small people can have enormous appetites—for food, for justice, for love.
Dakgalbi embodies that same energy. It’s a dish that looks like simple stir-fried chicken but hits with unexpected power. The spice builds, the flavors deepen, and by the end, you’re sweating, satisfied, and reaching for the fried rice because you’re not quite ready for it to be over.
Tonight, make dakgalbi. Cook it loud and hot. Gather people around the table. Don’t hold back on the gochujang. Channel your inner Bong Soon—eat like someone who punches gangsters through walls for exercise.
오늘 밤, 힘쎈여자 도봉순 정주행하면서 직접 만든 닭갈비와 함께하는 건 어떨까요?
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Hero image: “Korean cuisine-Dakgalbi-01” by ayustety, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of our K-Drama Kitchen series—cooking the dishes that made us hungry while watching.
