"Salmonella Stew"

A Korean delight rediscovered in the US.

Taste & See Part I: It started off as a simple meal in Korea, meeting up with old friends for lunch. Nothing complicated. Little did I know I was about to fall in love with "Dak Galbi," a Korean grilled chicken dish (christened "Salmonella Stew" by a friend because of the do-it-yourself cooking technique, see below). Back in the US I found myself craving Dak Galbi, but alas . . . where to find this mystical dish?

I was originally told it couldn't be found; Dtak Galbi was available only in Korea itself. Supposedly, chicken is viewed as an inferior meat and not worth bothering with here in the US, where everyone just wants to eat Bulgogi, beef barbecue
But I'm not the only one who's been looking. The folks who "live to eat," that is, the foodies who post their tips for inquiring minds at Chowhound, have also been on the hunt. Through the remarkable sleuthing of fellow foodie/Faux Gourmet JK, Chowhound revealed Dak Galbi's home in Los Angeles, at a Korean restaurant with a Korean sign full of Koreans, in Koreatown, with what I'm told is a perfect replica of the decor of a regular eatery in Korea (that is to say, without decor at all)--in other words, the best kind of place to get Korean food. Foodie, meet Mapo Galbi:



Mapo Galbi might serve something other than Dak Galbi but you'd never know by looking. Inside are dozens of Koreans crammed in around open flame-bbqs fit right into the table with cast iron skillets atop full of Dak Galbi in various states of readiness (and eatenness!). No non-Koreans or menus to speak of; you essentially order by saying how many portions you want and the waitresses take care of the rest. Delightfully, the food was just as I remembered it, good enough to compensate for the surprisingly high price for a dish made of "inferior" meat. The servings are also larger than necessary; even with two guys in the party, a 3-person serving had enough leftovers for 2 more meals.

Mapo Galbi is located at 3090 W. Olympic Blvd., LA.

Taste & See Part II: I found Faux Dak Galbi again recently in New York City at Korean "fast food" fried chicken chain KyoChon a mile past the end of the 7 line in Flushings. Do NOT mistake this for KFC-quality; that would be a terrible mistake; see here for a more thorough review. Quite a hike out there, but worth it, if not for the Faux Dtak Galbi (pre-made, and the waiter said it was not the beloved Dtak Galbi but it looked and tasted more or less the same):


Then for the delicious fried chicken:


And cheap ($13!) immense pitcher of Blue Moon with orange slices:


(Photos courtesy the telephone of B. Carlisle)

This entry isn't going to tell you how to make Dak Galbi. I have made it, but only once, and I don't want to subject you to my muddled interpretation of a recipe I don't really know. Chances are, given the difficulty of finding the dish in the US at all, you've never heard of it, much less tasted it. So let's start at square one. I'll introduce you to some seriously good food, step by step, and hopefully when it comes time to do-it-yourself, you'll be as enthused as me & the Chowhound foodies.

First, a big iron pan over an open flame is filled with raw chicken pieces, sweet potato & rice cakes ("dok").


A healthy dose of spicy sauce is added.


The lot is cooked for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.


Sesame seed leaf ("caet nip"), mushrooms, and cabbage are added for a nice pop.



Everything is stirred together.


Once cooked, very happy eaters can snatch up bites straight from the pot with chopsticks. Delish!


The best part about Dak Galbi is that the chicken is just phase one. The bottom starts to form a nice thick sauce, and rice and seaweed are added and stirred in.



The rice/seaweed mix is pressed down in a thin layer and the bottom gets a nice crispy crust, a treat worth fighting fellow diners over.


Good luck finding Dak Galbi at a K-town near you . . . and if you do, please do let the Faux Gourmet in on your find!