Stir-fries
Osam Bulgogi (Spicy Pork and Squid Stir-fry)
Marinate only the pork and stir-fry it first until cooked, then add the squid with the vegetables for a short, hot stir-fry. Adding the two at different times keeps the pork tender and the squid from turning rubbery.
한국어로 보기 (Korean version)
Steps
- 1
Pull out the guts and clear quill from the squid body and rinse. Cut the body into 1 cm rings and the tentacles into 5 cm lengths.
Rings let the sauce coat the inside evenly and cook quickly.
- 2
Cut the cabbage and onion into large pieces and slice the leek and chili on the diagonal. Mix the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup, garlic, and mirim into a sauce.
- 3
Toss the pork with two thirds of the sauce and marinate for 10 minutes.
Do not marinate the squid ahead; it releases water and toughens. Add it when stir-frying.
- 4
Heat the oil in a pan over high heat and stir-fry the pork for 4 minutes until cooked through.
- 5
Add the cabbage and onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the squid and the rest of the sauce and stir-fry 2 minutes more, until the squid turns white and opaque.
Cooking the squid too long makes it tough and watery.
- 6
Add the leek and chili and stir-fry 30 seconds more. Turn off the heat and finish with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Substitutions
| Instead of | Use | How |
|---|---|---|
| squid | 300 g cleaned webfoot octopus (jjukkumi) | Rub the octopus with flour to clean it, and add it at the same point as the squid for the same time. |
| gochujang sauce | soy sauce mix (3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp mirim) | For kids, leave out the gochujang and gochugaru and stir-fry with the soy sauce mix. |
Storing leftovers
With squid in it, this does not keep long. Cool leftovers right away and refrigerate for no more than 1 day; reheat in a pan with 1 to 2 Tbsp water, stir-frying briefly over high heat. Reheating too long turns the squid rubbery. Do not freeze it once cooked; to prep ahead, freeze only the marinated pork in portions and use it within 2 weeks.
Serve with
Rice, lettuce and perilla leaf wraps, and gyeran-guk (egg drop soup). The sweet-spicy sauce pairs well with fresh wraps and a clear soup.
Making more or less
About 550 g of pork and squid together feeds three. When making more, stir-fry in two batches rather than all at once so less water comes out and the heat stays high.
Questions
What does osam bulgogi mean?
The name joins "o" from ojingeo (squid) and "sam" from samgyeopsal (pork belly). It goes by the same name even when made with pork shoulder.
Why does my osam bulgogi get watery?
The pan was not hot enough or the squid was still wet. Pat the cleaned squid dry with paper towels and heat the pan until it just starts to smoke before you begin. Cabbage cut too small also releases water quickly.
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