My four favorite foreign foods are Korean, French, Thai, and Japanese. Of those, French is about all I'm comfortable making. Korean food isn't difficult to make just time consuming. However, there is one dish that is super duper easy to make because the key ingredient is available prepackaged in your local Korean grocery store refrigerator section. Dak galbi is traditionally made by stir-frying chicken in gochujang or chili pepper paste and then adding sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, and rice cakes.Dak galbi was one of my favorite meals when I taught in Korea. Oddly though, I could never find it on offer in any Korean restaurant in Los Angeles. I found one place recommended on Chowhound but it was not to be - it had changed into a BBQ joint. So home is the only place I can get close to the taste I crave.
To make my version you simply buy a package of dukboki which are rice logs (or because that sounds slightly distasteful rice ovaletts) you then simmer in the provided packets of spicy red sauce. Dukboki by itself is a common street food in Korea eaten as a snack. But mixed with chicken and green cabbage or other vegetables it becomes a tasty and complete one pan meal. I have found the above brand, Pulmuone, quite good, but I'm sure others will work just as well.
