Nakji-bokkeum (낙지볶음, Spicy Stir-Fried Octopus)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large bowl for scrubbing
• •Wide wok or 12-inch heavy skillet
• •Large pot for blanching
• •Spider strainer or tongs
• •Kitchen scissors or sharp knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Scrub the octopus

   If the octopus arrives whole, pull out the innards and ink sac from the head, cut away the eyes, and push out the hard beak where the tentacles meet. Put the octopus in a large bowl with the coarse salt and flour. Rub hard for 2 minutes, until the surface turns foamy and slick, then rinse under cold running water 3 or 4 times, until the water runs clear. The salt and flour pull away surface slime, and clean octopus lets the sauce cling instead of sliding off into cloudy liquid.

   Buying cleaned frozen nakji is a safe shortcut. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, keep it cold, and still scrub it before cooking.
2. 2

   Blanch briefly

   Bring 2 liters of water to a full boil and add the tablespoon of rice wine. Lower in the cleaned octopus and blanch for 30 seconds if the bodies are small, 45 seconds if they are thick. The tentacles should curl and the flesh should just firm. Lift it out, drain well, and pat dry. Cut the tentacles into 2-inch pieces and slice the head into 1/2-inch strips. Blanching drives off the first rush of water, so the stir-fry stays a stir-fry and not a soup.

3. 3

   Mix the sauce

   Stir together the gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons water or broth. Let it stand 10 minutes while you cut the vegetables, so the chili flakes soften and color the sauce evenly. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon, not stiff like paste. Use gochugaru for heat and color, and keep the gochujang to one tablespoon so the octopus still tastes like itself.

   If your gochugaru is very hot, use 2 tablespoons gochugaru and add 1 tablespoon more water. Heat can be adjusted; a heavy, sweet sauce is harder to fix.
4. 4

   Heat the pan

   Set the rice and any somyeon on the table before the pan starts. Heat a wok or wide heavy skillet over high heat until a drop of water disappears quickly on contact. Add the neutral oil, then the onion, carrot, and scallion whites. Stir-fry for 60 to 75 seconds, just until the onion edges turn glossy and begin to soften. Starting the vegetables first takes away their raw bite while leaving them with crunch.

5. 5

   Fry fast

   Push the vegetables to one side and add the sauce to the hot pan. Stir it for 20 to 30 seconds, just until it darkens slightly and looks glossy. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the blanched octopus, green chili, red chili if using, and scallion greens. Toss hard for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until the sauce clings to the curled pieces and everything is hot through. Stop there. More time does not make octopus tender; it makes it tired.

   If liquid floods the pan, lift the octopus and vegetables onto a plate, reduce the sauce alone for 30 to 60 seconds, then return everything and toss for 10 seconds. Do not punish the octopus while you fix the sauce.
6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Turn off the heat and fold in the toasted sesame oil. Scatter sesame seeds over the top. Serve immediately with hot rice, or with somyeon noodles on the side to drag through the sauce. This dish waits badly, so bring the pan to the table while the octopus still has its spring.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for nakji, small long-arm octopus, not a large cooked octopus leg. Large octopus needs different treatment and will not behave the same in this fast stir-fry.
• •The safe shortcuts are cleaned frozen octopus and sauce made ahead. The unsafe shortcuts are skipping the scrub, crowding a small pan, and cooking past two minutes once the octopus goes in.
• •Do not bury this under gochujang. Gochugaru gives clean heat and color; gochujang gives body. Too much paste makes the sauce sweet, sticky, and dull.
• •If you want more vegetables, add 1 cup sliced cabbage or bean sprouts, but cook them hard and fast before the octopus goes in. Wet vegetables are the reason many home pans turn this dish watery.
• •Leftovers toughen when reheated. If you have any, chop them small the next day and fry them quickly with rice, kimchi, and a spoon of the leftover sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •The sauce can be mixed up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before cooking so it loosens enough to spread in the pan.
• •The octopus can be cleaned, blanched, cut, and refrigerated up to 6 hours ahead. Keep it covered and cold, then pat it dry again before stir-frying.
• •Slice the onion, carrot, scallions, and chilies up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them separately. Cook the dish only at the last moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)