Korean Nakji Bokkeum (Spicy Octopus Stir Fry)
By: olivia kim
Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 - 3:45pm

Ingredients




1 lb octopus, de-gutted and cleaned
1 small onion, sliced into strips
2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
2 red or green chili peppers, sliced diagonally
2, 3 tbsp gochujang (red pepper paste)
2 tbsp gochugaru (red pepper flakes)
1 tbsp soy sauce
3, 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp sesame oil
somyeon (thin noodles; optional)
shiitake mushrooms (optional)
1 tbsp sesame seeds (garnish)
green onion (garnish)

Preparation

1 If using frozen octopus, allow to defrost at room temperature until ready for us. Wash and rinse octopus under cold water. Cut the legs/tentacles into 2-3 inch lengths. Cut open head and shave off insides with a knife. Rinse off ink and other remains, cut into strips. 2 Cut all vegetables into 2 or 3 inch strips (see pics above) and set aside until marinade/sauce is made. Save the green onions separately and add near the end of cooking. 3 Prepare and mix all ingredients for sauce in a mixing bowl. For extra spiciness, add extra gochujang (red pepper paste) or chili peppers of your liking. 4 Combine spicy sauce with octopus and marinate for 30~60 minutes. This is an optional step that can be skipped if time is limited. 5 Heat a non-stick pan on a medium high heat, cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Octopus cook fairly quickly, so there is no need to worry about undercooking them. 6 Garnish with sesame seeds and/or green onion. Serve with somyeon or warm rice and enjoy!

About

We finally got to enjoy a spicy seafood dish when we found some frozen octopus at the local Asian market. Instead of using our usual Korean store, which is handicapped with bad produce, limited ingredients, and overpricing, we have been finding more and more Korean items like this for our dishes.....full story and recipe at http://www.oliviajasonkim.com