Ojingeo Bokkeum (Spicy Stir-fried Squid)

Ingredients

• Squid · cleaned, body + tentacles2
• Onion0.5
• Carrot0.25
• Cabbage · optional3 leaves
• Green onion1 stalk
• Cheongyang chili · optional1
• Cooking oil1 tbsp
• Sauce
• Gochujang2 tbsp
• Gochugaru1 tbsp
• Soy sauce1 tbsp
• Sugar1 tbsp
• Minced garlic1 tbsp
• Cooking wine · or mirin1 tbsp
• Sesame oil · to finish1 tsp
• Sesame seeds · to finish
• Black pepper · a pinch

Steps

1. Clean the squid, removing the innards and skin. Score the inside of the body diagonally and cut into bite-size pieces; cut the tentacles into manageable lengths.

   ⏲ 5 min

2. Cut the onion, carrot, and cabbage into thick strips; slice the green onion and chili on the diagonal.

   ⏲ 3 min

3. Mix all the sauce ingredients (gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, cooking wine, pepper) into a paste.

   ⏲ 1 min

4. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat, then add the onion and carrot and stir-fry briefly.

   ⏲ 2 min

5. Add the squid and stir-fry quickly over high heat, then add the sauce and toss to coat.

   ⏲ 1 min 30 sec

6. Add the cabbage, green onion, and chili and stir-fry just 2-3 minutes, until the squid turns white and curls. Do not overcook or it turns rubbery.

   ⏲ 3 min

7. Turn off the heat and finish with sesame oil and sesame seeds. Spoon over rice for a squid rice bowl.

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.