Korean Spicy Webfoot Octopus & Pork Belly Stir-fry

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 10

About this dish

Jjukkumi-samgyeop-bokkeum cooks pork belly first, then gives drained webfoot octopus and a thick chili paste only a short turn over high heat.

Three hundred grams octopus is cleaned of its innards, rubbed lightly with salt, rinsed, and left in a sieve. Removing loose water at this stage keeps it from diluting the sauce as soon as it reaches the pan. One hundred eighty grams pork belly is cut into bite-size pieces, 100 g onion into thick pieces, and 1 green onion on the diagonal. The green onion is held for the final stage. The sauce combines 1.5 tablespoons each gochujang and gochugaru, 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon sugar. It remains thick because the octopus supplies moisture during cooking. The pork belly spends 4 to 5 minutes over medium-high. By then, its edges should be golden and fat should have collected in the pan. Only excess pooled fat is lifted away. After the onion cooks for 1 minute, the octopus and sauce are added together and tossed over high for 1 to 2 minutes. The green onion follows for 30 seconds. The burner is switched off before 1 teaspoon sesame oil is mixed through. Giving the pork the longer first stage and delaying the octopus prevents the two ingredients from being forced through the same cooking time.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

webfoot octopus300 gg

pork belly180 gg

onion100 gg

green onion1 eaea

gochujang1½ tbsptbsp

gochugaru1½ tbsptbsp

soy sauce1 tbsptbsp

minced garlic1 tbsptbsp

sugar1 tsptsp

sesame oil1 tsptsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Season

Clean 300 g of webfoot octopus by removing the innards, then rub it lightly with salt and rinse well.

Drain it in a sieve so excess water does not thin the spicy sauce later.
2

Prep

Cut 180 g of pork belly into bite-size pieces, then slice 100 g of onion into thick pieces.

Slice 1 green onion on a diagonal and keep it separate because it goes in near the end.
3

Season

Mix 1.5 tablespoons each gochujang and gochugaru with 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and minced garlic, plus 1 teaspoon sugar.

Leave the paste thick, since the octopus will release moisture as it cooks.
4

Control

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and cook the pork belly for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring until the edges turn golden and the fat renders. If too much fat pools, remove some with paper towels.
5

Season

Add the onion and stir-fry for 1 minute to bring out sweetness.

Add the octopus and sauce, raise the heat to high, and toss quickly for only 1 to 2 minutes so it stays chewy.
6

Finish

Add the green onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds, just until its aroma rises and the sauce coats everything evenly.

Turn off the heat, mix in 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and serve immediately while hot.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Jjukkumi-samgyeop-bokkeum pairs chewy baby octopus with rich pork belly in a spicy gochujang base.
Finish cue: Heat a pan over medium-high heat and cook the pork belly for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring until the edges turn golden and the fat renders.
Avoid this: The burner is switched off before 1 teaspoon sesame oil is mixed through.