Nakji Bokkeum

Name: Nakji Bokkeum
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 180 g fresh small octopus; 1 tbsp coarse sea salt; 60 g onion; 50 g white cabbage; 20 g carrot; 1 spring onion; 1 green chilli; 1 tbsp gochujang; 1 tbsp gochugaru; 1 tsp soy sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 2 cloves garlic; 0.5 tsp root ginger; 1 tbsp Korean rice wine; 2 tsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Korean stir-fried octopus in a fiery gochujang sauce, cooked fast over high heat so the flesh stays tender and springy.

Lunch & dinner Pescatarian 25g+ protein Under 30 min

28 min20 prep · 8 cookMedium424 kcalper serving

Method

Put the 180 g of octopus in a bowl with 1 tbsp of coarse sea salt and rub it hard for 2 minutes, working the salt into the head and between the suckers until the grey slime lifts away. Rinse under cold running water until the skin squeaks rather than slips.
Turn the head inside out, pull away the innards and ink sac, and press out the hard beak from the centre of the legs. Rinse again, then cut the legs into 5 cm lengths and the head into strips. Drain in a colander so the wok does not steam.
Make the sauce: in a small bowl stir 1 tbsp of gochujang, 1 tbsp of gochugaru, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sugar, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 0.5 tsp of grated ginger and 1 tbsp of rice wine into a smooth paste. Leave it for 10 minutes so the chilli flakes soften and bloom.
Slice 60 g of onion into 1 cm wedges, cut 50 g of cabbage into bite-sized squares, slice 20 g of carrot thinly on the diagonal, and cut 1 spring onion into 4 cm lengths and 1 green chilli into diagonal slices. Keep the spring onion and chilli aside for the finish.