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A bowl of Korean Dakgalbi with ramen, topped with melted cheese, glowing chopsticks next to it. More Dakgalbi can be seen in the background in a large cast-iron pan.
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Cheesy Noodle Dakgalbi

A cheesy Dakgalbi variation featuring grated cheese, and instant noodles instead of rice.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Marinating time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 5 people

Equipment

  • 1 wide cast-iron pan

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp gochugaru or other chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp chicken stock just the powder, without water
  • 1 tbsp Korean curry powder
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 100 ml pineapple juice or apple juice or kiwi juice
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 3.5 tbsp gochujang paste

Stir-fry

  • 600 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 sweet potato small
  • 0.25 head green cabbage or napa cabbage
  • 2 onions small to mid-sized
  • 2 green onions
  • 200 g Korean rice cakes stick-shaped
  • 200 g shredded cheese desired heartiness
  • 2 blocks instant noodles
  • some neutral-flavored oil

Instructions

Marinade the chicken

  • Peel and finely chop the garlic.
  • Thoroughly mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl.
  • Cut the chicken into cubes of 2-3cm.
  • Add the chicken to the marinade and mix well. Set aside while preparing the rest, for at least 20 minutes.

Prep stir-fry

  • Soak the rice cakes in a bowl of water for 15 minutes.
  • Cook instant noodles according to package instructions, but stop a minute short to slightly undercook them. They will soften more later. Break them up while cooking and store with some oil to keep them from sticking together.
  • Cut the onion and cabbage into thin slices.
  • Cut the sweet potato into sticks shaped like French fries.
  • Thinly slice the green onion and set aside for serving.

Stir-fry everything

  • Put some oil into the cast-iron pan and put it on the stove over medium heat.
  • Spread the sweet potatoes and rice cakes in the pan.
  • Put the sliced cabbage and onions on top, then the marinated chicken.
  • Let it simmer for a bit, then give it a good stir to distribute the marinade. Keep it on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  • Note: This step might take a while (20+ minutes) if you're making a larger serving amount. The pan is very overcrowded, which is completely fine. The cabbage releases a lot of moisture – keep going until it's less of a soup and more of a sauce. Importantly, the chicken must be done, the rice cakes should be chewy, and the sweet potato should have no more crunch.
  • Optional: Preheat the oven to ~180 degrees to help melt the cheese later.
  • When the consistency looks good, take it off the heat and stir in all the instant noodles.
  • Part it in the middle and fill with cheese. If you want it to melt nicely, put the pan in the pre-heated oven for just 3-5 minutes.
  • Serve immediately and sprinkle with green onions. (If you have a stove to keep it warm on the table where it is eaten, that would be perfect.)