Stir-fries
Jjukkumi Bokkeum (Spicy Stir-fried Baby Octopus)
Scrub the webfoot octopus with flour and marinate it briefly in the sauce. Stir-fry the cabbage and onion over high heat until they wilt, then add the octopus and cook just until the arms curl.
한국어로 보기 (Korean version)
Steps
- 1
Turn each octopus head inside out, remove the guts and ink, and press out the hard beak at the center of the arms. Add the flour, scrub vigorously, and rinse until the water runs clear.
If the head is packed with rice-like eggs, leave them in.
- 2
Halve only the large octopus. Toss them in a sauce of the gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, syrup, sugar, garlic, mirim, and pepper, and marinate for 10 minutes.
- 3
While the octopus marinates, cut the cabbage into bite-size pieces, slice the onion into thick strips, and slice the leek and chili on the diagonal.
- 4
Heat the oil in a pan over high heat and stir-fry the cabbage and onion for 2 minutes until slightly wilted.
- 5
Add the marinated octopus and stir-fry over high heat for 3 minutes, until the arms curl up and it is cooked through.
Octopus turns tough and watery if overcooked, so move on as soon as it is done.
- 6
Just before turning off the heat, add the leek and chili to wilt them slightly, then finish with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Substitutions
| Instead of | Use | How |
|---|---|---|
| fresh webfoot octopus | 500 g frozen cleaned webfoot octopus | Thaw it in the fridge and squeeze out the water so the sauce does not get thin. |
| some of the octopus | 200 g pork belly | Brown the pork belly first until fully cooked, then add the vegetables and octopus to make jjuksam bokkeum. |
| oligosaccharide syrup | 1/2 Tbsp more sugar | Sugar alone gives a little less shine but tastes about the same. |
Storing leftovers
As it cools, liquid seeps from the sauce and pools on the plate. Refrigerate leftovers for no more than 1 day, and reheat by stir-frying briefly over high heat to cook off the liquid. Do not freeze the cooked octopus. Octopus left sitting in the marinade in the fridge releases water and toughens, so cook marinated octopus the same day.
Serve with
Rice, perilla leaf and lettuce wraps, and a clear radish soup. Finish by frying rice and crumbled seaweed in the leftover sauce.
Making more or less
Plan on 250 g of octopus per person. If you want fried rice afterward, make 1.5 times the sauce and leave plenty in the pan.
Questions
Are jukkumi and jjukkumi different?
They are the same seafood. The standard Korean spelling is jukkumi; jjukkumi is the everyday spelling you see on menus and in conversation.
Can I eat the white eggs inside the head?
Yes. In spring, webfoot octopus heads are plump with eggs that cook up like grains of rice. The eggs take longer than the arms to cook, so halve the heads or stir-fry about 1 minute longer.
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