Korean Butter Soy Stir-fried Dried Squid
Quick answer
- Total time
- 18 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Butter-soy jinmichae-bokkeum stir-fries dried shredded squid (jinmichae) in melted butter with soy sauce and oligosaccharide syrup, making a banchan that is rich, salty-sweet, and distinctly different from the standard gochujang-dressed version.
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The butter's milk fat coats each strand of squid and creates a noticeably smoother mouthfeel than oil-based preparations. The sequence matters: garlic goes into the melted butter first and cooks for just twenty seconds to bloom its aroma without burning, then the soy sauce and syrup go in to form the glaze base, and only then does the jinmichae enter the pan. The entire stir-fry window is no more than two to three minutes - squid proteins contract and toughen quickly at high heat, so extended cooking ruins the texture. Half a tablespoon of gochugaru is enough to add gentle warmth and a reddish tint without overriding the butter's character. This banchan works in children's lunchboxes and holds up equally well as a beer snack.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Cut any long strands of the 220 g dried shredded squid in half and separate clumped pieces.
If the strands feel stiff, sprinkle 1 tablespoon water evenly over them and loosen by hand for 1 minute until pliable, not wet.
- 2Control
Preheat a pan over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter until it foams.
Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and stir for just 20 seconds, lowering the heat if the garlic starts to brown before its aroma opens.
- 3Control
Reduce the heat to low, then add 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oligosaccharide syrup, and 0.5 tablespoon gochugaru.
Stir for 30 seconds until the seasonings combine into a glossy glaze with small bubbles.
- 4Step
Add the squid strands and return the heat to medium.
Toss constantly with tongs or a spatula for about 1 1/2 minutes, lifting from the bottom so the butter-soy glaze reaches every dry-looking strand.
- 5Heat
Keep the total stir-fry time within 2 to 3 minutes.
When the strands look glossy and feel slightly softer, turn off the heat right away, because longer cooking or strong heat makes the squid tighten and toughen.
- 6Season
With the heat off, add 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, then toss gently just until coated.
Check that the glaze is shiny and evenly salty-sweet before transferring the banchan to a serving dish.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Dried squid in butter and soy glaze. Butter fat smooths the fibers where gochujang versions do not.
- Finish cue
- When the strands look glossy and feel slightly softer, turn off the heat right away, because longer cooking or strong heat makes the squid tighten and toughen.
- Avoid this
- Avoid high heat and long cooking to prevent toughness.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
18min, 8 ingredients
Category median
25min, 8 ingredients
Based on 220 recipes
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