True Taste Korea

CRAVITY

  • CRAVITY Minhee Recommends Dakbokkeumtang — Is It a Stew or Braised Chicken?

    Korean fried chicken is famous around the world.

    But CRAVITY’s Minhee recommends a completely different way to eat chicken in Korea.

    Dakbokkeumtang (닭볶음탕).

    When CRAVITY members were asked which Korean food they would recommend to international fans, Minhee chose braised spicy chicken. And in the same interview, when asked what kind of food he could eat every day, his answer was even simpler:

    Anything made with chicken.

    So if Minhee recommends a Korean chicken dish, dakbokkeumtang seems like a natural choice.

    But what exactly is it?

    What Is Dakbokkeumtang?

    Dakbokkeumtang is a spicy Korean chicken dish made by cooking pieces of chicken with vegetables in a red, savory broth.

    Potatoes are one of its signature ingredients.

    The Korea Tourism Organization describes it as chicken cooked with a red chili powder marinade and broth, with the soft, well-cooked potatoes being an important part of the dish.

    Depending on the recipe, you’ll also find ingredients such as carrots, onions, green onions and garlic.

    Everything cooks together until the chicken is tender and the sauce becomes rich with chicken flavor.

    Is It a Stew or Braised Chicken?

    That’s where the English name can be confusing.

    Dakbokkeumtang is commonly translated as “spicy braised chicken.”

    But when it arrives at the table, you may think:

    “That looks like a stew.”

    And you wouldn’t exactly be wrong.

    The Korea Tourism Organization notes that despite being described as braised chicken, the dish can look quite brothy. Chicken is cooked with red chili powder, gochujang, garlic, onions and other ingredients until the broth becomes thick and intensely savory.

    So don’t worry too much about the English label.

    Just bring rice.

    Why Are the Potatoes So Good?

    Chicken might be the star, but don’t ignore the potatoes.

    As they simmer, they absorb the spicy chicken broth.

    Eventually they become so soft that you can break them apart with a spoon.

    Korea Tourism Organization even suggests crushing the cooked potato into the remaining broth and mixing it with rice.

    That’s when something interesting happens.

    The potato thickens the sauce.

    The rice absorbs it.

    And suddenly you’re fighting over the leftovers instead of the chicken.

    How Spicy Is Dakbokkeumtang?

    Usually, it’s definitely spicy—but it’s not simply about heat.

    The sauce combines chili with the savory flavor of chicken, garlic and vegetables, while potatoes and other vegetables can add some natural sweetness.

    That makes dakbokkeumtang different from a pure spice challenge.

    You keep eating because the sauce tastes good.

    Then the heat catches up with you.

    Then you eat another spoonful of rice.

    And somehow you start again.

    Don’t Throw Away the Sauce

    This might be the most important rule.

    When most of the chicken is gone, don’t assume the meal is finished.

    Some Korean restaurants use the remaining dakbokkeumtang sauce to make fried rice. Korea Tourism Organization specifically highlights restaurants where rice is stir-fried in the leftover sauce after the main dish.

    The rice absorbs the concentrated chicken and chili flavor from everything that has been cooking in the pot.

    For many Korean dishes, the final fried rice isn’t just leftovers.

    It’s practically the second course.

    Why Should International Fans Try Minhee’s Recommendation?

    Internationally, Korean chicken usually means crispy fried chicken covered in sauce.

    Dakbokkeumtang shows another side of Korean chicken culture.

    There’s no crunchy coating.

    Instead, you get tender chicken, soft potatoes and vegetables simmered together in a spicy red broth.

    And Minhee’s recommendation becomes even more fitting when you know his answer to another question in the same interview.

    If he had to eat one type of food every day?

    Anything made from chicken.

    So if you’re a CRAVITY fan exploring Korean food, skip fried chicken for one meal.

    Put a bubbling pot of dakbokkeumtang in the middle of the table.

    Just remember:

    Save some sauce for the rice.

  • CRAVITY Jungmo Recommends Yukhoe Bibimbap — Would You Eat Raw Beef With Rice?

    When international visitors think of Korean beef, they usually imagine one thing:

    Korean barbecue.

    Meat sizzling over a hot grill.

    But CRAVITY’s Jungmo recommends something completely different.

    Yukhoe bibimbap (육회비빔밥).

    And yes—the beef is served raw.

    When CRAVITY members were asked which Korean food they would recommend to international fans, Jungmo chose yukhoe bibimbap.

    So what exactly is it?

    What Is Yukhoe?

    Yukhoe (육회) is Korean-style raw beef.

    You can think of it as Korea’s answer to beef tartare, although the seasoning and serving style are distinctly Korean.

    Fresh beef is sliced into thin strips and commonly seasoned with ingredients such as sesame oil.

    It is often served with Korean pear, and an egg yolk may be placed on top.

    The Korea Tourism Organization describes Korean yukhoe as beef tartare seasoned with ingredients such as sesame oil and pear.

    But Jungmo’s recommendation takes it one step further.

    He chose yukhoe bibimbap.

    What Is Yukhoe Bibimbap?

    Start with a bowl of rice.

    Then add vegetables.

    Then add seasoned raw beef.

    Finally, mix everything together.

    The Korea Tourism Organization’s version includes beef tartare alongside vegetables such as bean sprouts, spinach, bracken, zucchini and radish, plus egg yolk, seaweed and sesame. The ingredients are mixed with sesame oil and seasoned red chili paste.

    In other words, it’s classic bibimbap with one major twist:

    The beef isn’t cooked.

    Why Raw Beef?

    This might be the part that surprises international visitors most.

    Korean cuisine isn’t only about grilling meat.

    Yukhoe is valued for the beef’s soft texture and relatively delicate flavor, while sesame oil, pear and other seasonings provide sweetness and nuttiness.

    Freshness is especially important because the beef is eaten uncooked.

    Korea Tourism Organization notes that one well-known yukhoe restaurant at Seoul’s Gwangjang Market receives fresh Korean beef daily.

    And yukhoe isn’t some obscure modern experiment.

    It’s established enough that Gwangjang Market has an entire alley famous for it.

    Why Put Yukhoe in Bibimbap?

    Because bibimbap is essentially built for mixing.

    Traditional bibimbap combines rice with vegetables, meat and seasoning in one bowl. Korea Tourism Organization describes it as a representative Korean food that reflects the Korean style of combining different ingredients together.

    Replace the cooked beef with yukhoe and you get a very different experience.

    The warm rice meets cool raw beef.

    Crunchy vegetables meet soft meat.

    Gochujang brings heat and sweetness.

    Sesame oil ties everything together.

    The bowl might look carefully arranged when it arrives.

    Then you destroy the presentation.

    That’s the point.

    Mix everything.

    Is Yukhoe Bibimbap Popular Outside Seoul?

    Yes.

    Different regions have their own versions.

    For example, Korea Tourism Organization highlights yukhoe bibimbap as a popular variation of Jeonju bibimbap and explains that the beef can be seasoned with red chili paste, garlic and sesame oil.

    Jinju is also known for beef tartare bibimbap, where seasoned raw beef is placed with colorful vegetables over rice.

    So this isn’t simply a Seoul trend.

    It’s part of a broader Korean raw-beef food tradition.

    Would You Try Jungmo’s Recommendation?

    If you’re uncomfortable with raw meat, yukhoe bibimbap probably isn’t the first Korean dish you should order.

    Start with bulgogi or Korean barbecue.

    But if you’ve already tried those and want to explore something different, Jungmo’s recommendation makes sense.

    You still get familiar Korean flavors:

    Rice.

    Vegetables.

    Gochujang.

    Sesame oil.

    But right in the middle is something many first-time visitors don’t expect:

    raw beef.

    Korean barbecue lets you cook the beef yourself.

    Yukhoe bibimbap asks:

    What if we don’t cook it at all?

  • CRAVITY Allen Recommends Samgyetang — Why Do Koreans Eat Hot Chicken Soup in Summer?

    Imagine a brutally hot summer day.

    The temperature is climbing, you’re already sweating—and someone puts a bowl of boiling-hot chicken soup in front of you.

    In Korea, that’s not unusual.

    It’s called samgyetang (삼계탕), and CRAVITY’s Allen chose it when asked which Korean food he would recommend to international fans.

    His reason was simple: he considers it a healthy food.

    But that raises a much more interesting question.

    Why do Koreans deliberately eat piping-hot chicken soup during the hottest days of summer?

    What Is Samgyetang?

    Samgyetang is a traditional Korean chicken soup.

    A small whole chicken is typically stuffed with glutinous rice and simmered with ingredients such as garlic, jujubes and ginseng.

    The result is very different from Korea’s fiery red stews.

    Samgyetang is generally mild.

    The chicken cooks until tender, while the rice inside absorbs the broth and becomes soft and comforting.

    And unlike fried chicken or Korean barbecue, samgyetang has long been associated with nourishment and restoring energy.

    Why Did Allen Recommend It?

    In a Soompi interview, CRAVITY members were asked which Korean foods they would recommend to international fans.

    Allen chose samgyetang, explaining that he thought it was good for your health.

    That’s actually a useful choice for someone trying Korean food for the first time.

    Many internationally famous Korean dishes are spicy, heavily seasoned or grilled.

    Samgyetang shows another side of Korean cuisine:

    simple ingredients, a mild broth and a focus on nourishment.

    Why Eat Hot Soup in Hot Weather?

    Here’s where samgyetang gets fascinating.

    Korea has an expression:

    이열치열 (以熱治熱)

    It roughly means “fight heat with heat.”

    Instead of cooling down with only cold food, the idea is to eat something hot and nourishing, sweat and restore the energy believed to be depleted during intense summer weather.

    Samgyetang is especially associated with Sambok, traditionally considered the three hottest periods of the Korean summer.

    On these days, samgyetang restaurants can become packed with customers.

    So while an icy bowl of naengmyeon makes perfect sense on a hot day, Koreans also have the exact opposite answer:

    boiling chicken soup.

    What Does Samgyetang Taste Like?

    If you expect the aggressive spice of Korean ramyeon or tteokbokki, you may be surprised.

    Samgyetang’s broth is usually subtle and savory.

    Garlic adds depth, while ingredients such as ginseng and jujube give the soup a distinctive herbal character.

    The chicken itself is tender enough to pull apart easily.

    Inside, you’ll find soft glutinous rice that has absorbed the chicken broth.

    Salt and pepper are often provided separately, allowing diners to season the meat and soup according to their own taste.

    Is There Really Ginseng Inside?

    Yes.

    The name explains the dish.

    Sam (삼) refers to ginseng, while gye (계) refers to chicken and tang (탕) means soup.

    Ginseng is one of the ingredients that gives samgyetang its reputation as a nourishing meal.

    That also makes the dish particularly interesting for international visitors.

    You’re not simply eating Korean chicken soup.

    You’re experiencing a food tied to Korea’s traditional ideas about season, heat and restoring the body.

    Should First-Time Visitors Try Samgyetang?

    Absolutely—especially if spicy Korean food isn’t your thing.

    Samgyetang provides a very different introduction to Korean cuisine from the dishes that tend to go viral overseas.

    There’s no flaming-red sauce.

    No tabletop grill.

    No extreme spice challenge.

    Just a whole chicken, rice, garlic, ginseng and a warm broth.

    And if you happen to visit Korea during the hottest part of summer, don’t be surprised to see people lining up for it.

    That’s the paradox that makes samgyetang memorable:

    The hotter the weather gets, the hotter the soup becomes.

    CRAVITY’s Allen recommends it.

    Koreans have been eating it through summer heat for generations.

    Maybe sweating over a bowl of chicken soup isn’t such a strange idea after all.