KCook
Sign in
← All recipes
Main dishes

Spicy Stir-fried Octopus

Cook mode
nakji-bokkeum

Tender octopus stir-fried in a very spicy chili sauce.

Medium25 min3 servings🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️★ 73Contains shellfishContains soyContains sesame
🍲

History & culture

Nakji-bokkeum stir-fries small octopus with gochujang, garlic, and vegetables until tender yet chewy, a coastal market dish turned nationwide anju. Ports such as Incheon and Mokpo are often named in food histories for fresh octopus trade, though home versions use frozen octopus today. Its bold heat and texture made it a staple of Korean pub menus from the late twentieth century onward.

Servings
3

KCook

Ingredients & steps

Cook mode

Ingredients

  • Onion
    1/2 medium, sliced
  • Green cabbage
    1 cup, shredded
  • Neutral cooking oil
    1 tbsp
  • Green onion

    Substitutescallion or spring onion

    2 stalks
  • Small octopus (nakji)

    Substitutebaby octopus or tentacles

    400 g, cleaned

Seasonings

  • Gochujang (Korean chili paste)

    Substitutemiso + chili paste (approximate)

    3 tbsp
  • Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)

    Substitutecoarse red pepper flakes (adjust heat)

    2 tbsp
  • Soy sauce

    SubstituteTsuyu (diluted) 2 tsp (2 tsp per 1 tbsp) or Tamari 1 tbsp

    1 tbsp
  • Toasted sesame oil

    Substitutea small amount of olive oil (flavor differs)

    1 tsp
  • Sugar
    1 tbsp
  • Rice wine (mirim / cooking wine)

    Substitutedry sherry or water + pinch of sugar

    1 tbsp

Steps

  1. 1High heat1 min

    Blanch octopus in boiling water 30 seconds, drain very well, pat dry, and cut into bite-size pieces.

    • Small octopus (nakji)
  2. 21 min

    Mix gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine and sesame oil.

    • Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
    • Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
    • Soy sauce
    • Sugar
    • Rice wine (mirim / cooking wine)
    • Toasted sesame oil
  3. 3High heat5 min

    Stir-fry onion and cabbage in hot oil 2 minutes, then add octopus and sauce. Cook 3 minutes on high heat.

    • Neutral cooking oil
    • Onion
    • Green cabbage
    • Small octopus (nakji)
  4. 4

    Top with green onion and serve with rice.

    • Green onion

Storage & reheating

Eat fresh. Keeps 1 day refrigerated; texture is best the same day.

Troubleshooting

  • ⚠️ Octopus is tough

    → Blanch briefly first; avoid long cooking after adding sauce.

  • ⚠️ Not spicy enough

    → Add 1 tsp gochugaru and 1 tbsp gochujang at the end.