Cheese Dakgalbi (Home Version)
チーズタッカルビ（家庭用）
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Cheese dakgalbi is a Korean dish of chicken and vegetables stir-fried in a sweet-spicy sauce, with a pool of melted cheese in the middle of the pan for dipping. It became hugely popular in Japan a few years ago, and this is the version I make for little ones at home: the heat of gochujang is swapped for a mild ketchup-and-miso sauce, so the flavor is rich and savory without any spice. Chicken, potato and cabbage all soften in the pan, and the stringy melted cheese makes even picky eaters reach for their vegetables.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce and miso (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow them, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 75 gchicken thigh
- 22.5 gonion
- 22.5 gcabbage
- 22.5 gpotato
- 15 gshredded pizza cheese
Seasonings
- 2.3 gsesame oil
- 3 gketchup
- 2.4 gmisoFermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- 1.5 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 0.8 gsoy sauce
- 0.2 gchicken stock powder (Chinese-style)Japanese granulated chicken bone soup base used for Chinese-style soups and stir-fries. Substitute: Chicken bouillon granules or powder.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- miso (みそ)
- Fermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- chicken stock powder (Chinese-style) (鶏ガラスープの素)
- Japanese granulated chicken bone soup base used for Chinese-style soups and stir-fries. Substitute: Chicken bouillon granules or powder.
Directions
- 1
Cut the onion into thin slices and cut those in half so they are half-length. Cut the potato into 3 mm quarter-rounds (ichō-giri) and the cabbage into 2 cm squares.
- 2
Cut the chicken into pieces of about 20 g each.
- 3
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan, add the vegetables from step 1 and stir-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and stir-fry briefly, just until the surface is cooked.
- 4
Add the seasonings and stir to combine, then cover and steam-cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
- 5
Remove the lid and stir gently so the potato pieces don't break apart, letting the excess liquid cook off.
- 6
Push the ingredients to both sides of the pan to clear a space in the middle, and put the shredded pizza cheese there. Cover and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, until the cheese melts.
You can also make this on an electric griddle (hot plate)! It looks most impressive when you cook a big batch - ten or more portions for children aged 3 and up. Cheese is high in salt, so remind your child to dip just a little at a time. If you want to set aside portions for children under 3, after step 5 spoon the mixture into small ramekins, top each with shredded pizza cheese (about 5 g per child) and bake in a toaster oven for about 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 256.5 kcal | 513 kcal | 256.5 kcal |
| Protein | 17.7 g | 35.4 g | 17.7 g |
| Fat | 18.2 g | 36.3 g | 18.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.3 g | 18.6 g | 9.3 g |
| Fiber | 2.8 g | 5.7 g | 2.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1 g | 2.1 g | 1 g |
| Calcium | 133.5 mg | 267 mg | 133.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 426 mg | 852 mg | 426 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 256.5 kcal | 17.7 g | 18.2 g | 9.3 g | 2.8 g | 1 g | 133.5 mg | 0.8 mg | 426 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 513 kcal | 35.4 g | 36.3 g | 18.6 g | 5.7 g | 2.1 g | 267 mg | 1.5 mg | 852 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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