Charim

2686 Korean & World Recipes

2686+ Korean recipes, clean and organized. Ingredients to instructions, all at a glance.

Korean Spicy Octopus Stir-fry
Stir-fry Medium

Korean Spicy Octopus Stir-fry

Muneo-bokkeum is a Korean stir-fry of pre-boiled octopus tossed with onion, carrot, and scallion in a gochujang-soy sauce blend. The octopus is cut into bite-size pieces and needs only 2-3 minutes of high-heat cooking to warm through and absorb the spicy-salty seasoning without turning chewy. Vegetables are kept slightly underdone to provide a crisp counterpoint to the octopus's springy, dense chew. The sauce is mixed from gochujang, soy sauce, and garlic before hitting the pan, so the stir-fry proceeds quickly with a final drizzle of sesame oil.

Prep 20min Cook 10min 2 servings

Adjust Servings

2servings
servings

Instructions

  1. 1

    Cut boiled octopus into bite-size pieces and prep vegetables similarly.

  2. 2

    Mix gochujang, soy sauce, and garlic.

  3. 3

    Stir-fry vegetables first for 1 minute in a hot pan.

  4. 4

    Add octopus and sauce, then stir-fry quickly over high heat for 2-3 minutes.

  5. 5

    Turn off heat and finish with sesame oil.

🛒Shop Ingredients on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Tips

Keep cooking time short to prevent tough octopus.
Slightly crisp vegetables improve texture contrast.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories
250
kcal
Protein
27
g
Carbs
12
g
Fat
10
g

More Recipes

Korean Spicy Whelk Stir-fry
Stir-fryEasy

Korean Spicy Whelk Stir-fry

Golbaengi bokkeum is a Korean spicy whelk stir-fry that combines canned whelk with a sauce of gochujang, gochugaru, vinegar, and sugar. The whelk's firm, chewy texture is central to the dish, so cooking time is kept to just 2 to 3 minutes to prevent toughness. Vinegar adds a tangy brightness that balances the chili heat. Julienned cucumber, onion, and scallion are tossed in off the heat to maintain their crunch and freshness. Served alongside thin wheat noodles or glass noodles, it transitions easily from a banchan into a popular drinking snack.

🍺 Bar Snacks🏠 Everyday
Prep 15minCook 8min2 servings
Korean Oyster Water Parsley Stir-fry
Stir-fryEasy

Korean Oyster Water Parsley Stir-fry

Gul-minari-bokkeum stir-fries plump raw oysters with fragrant water parsley (minari), gochugaru, and light soy sauce over high heat. The oysters cook just enough to firm up while keeping their juicy brine, and the minari retains its crunch and herbal freshness. The briny sweetness of the oysters meets the clean, grassy note of minari, creating a balanced and refreshing dish. It is best prepared in winter when oysters are at their plumpest and most flavorful.

🍺 Bar Snacks🏠 Everyday
Prep 15minCook 8min2 servings
Korean Garlic Scape Clam Stir-fry
Stir-fryMedium

Korean Garlic Scape Clam Stir-fry

Maneuljjong-jogae-bokkeum is a Korean stir-fry of clam meat and garlic scapes tossed quickly over high heat with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and minced garlic. The clams contribute a briny, oceanic depth that pairs with the salty-sweet seasoning, while the garlic scapes - cut into 4 cm pieces and barely cooked - retain their firm, snappy bite. Diagonally sliced red chili adds a gentle warmth without overwhelming the seafood flavor. The dish cooks in under ten minutes, relying on speed and high heat to keep the clams soft and the scapes crunchy.

🏠 Everyday🍱 Lunchbox
Prep 14minCook 9min2 servings
Korean Spicy Gochujang Dried Squid Stir-Fry
Side dishesEasy

Korean Spicy Gochujang Dried Squid Stir-Fry

Jinmichae - shredded dried squid - is a Korean pantry staple prized for its chewy texture and umami that intensifies the longer you chew. This preparation coats the strands in a gochujang glaze, making it one of the most widely kept banchan in Korean refrigerators. Briefly soaking the dried squid in water before squeezing softens the tough fibers and opens them to absorb the sauce. The sauce - gochujang, gochugaru, rice syrup, soy sauce, and garlic - is stir-fried first over low heat to mellow the raw chili edge, then the squid is tossed through quickly. Sesame oil and seeds finish the dish off heat, producing a sweet-spicy coated snack that keeps well for days.

🏠 Everyday🍱 Lunchbox
Prep 8minCook 7min4 servings
Korean Aged Kimchi Tuna Stir-fry
Stir-fryEasy

Korean Aged Kimchi Tuna Stir-fry

Mukeunji-chamchi-bokkeum stir-fries well-aged kimchi with drained canned tuna, concentrating the kimchi's sharp tanginess alongside the tuna's protein-rich umami. Onion and scallion whites cook first to build sweetness, then the aged kimchi is added and stir-fried for four minutes to drive off excess moisture, intensifying its flavor before gochugaru and sugar go in. The tuna joins last and needs only three minutes of tossing to absorb the bold, tangy sauce without falling apart. A finish of sesame oil and scallion greens adds fragrance to what is one of the most common Korean home-style banchan.

🏠 Everyday🍱 Lunchbox
Prep 12minCook 13min2 servings
Korean Sweet Spicy Pollock Floss Stir-fry
Side dishesEasy

Korean Sweet Spicy Pollock Floss Stir-fry

Myeongyeopchae-bokkeum stir-fries finely shredded dried pollock floss in gochujang and oligosaccharide syrup until each strand is moist and evenly coated. Myeongyeopchae is thinner and softer than hwangtaechae (dried pollock strips), arriving in a cotton-like clump that must be gently loosened by hand before cooking. A thirty-second dry toast in the pan removes residual moisture and releases a toasted fish aroma, then gochujang, gochugaru, syrup, soy sauce, and garlic go in over low heat for a quick coating. The fine fibers absorb the sauce rapidly, turning pliant and moist - but cooking beyond two minutes toughens them, so speed is essential. The finished banchan sits in a middle ground between the chewier hwangtaechae-muchim and the more intensely flavored jinmichae-bokkeum, offering a gentler dried-fish experience. Its mild sweet-spicy flavor is approachable enough for children, and the dry-ish finish means the seasoning stays put in a lunchbox without bleeding into adjacent banchan.

🏠 Everyday🧒 Kid-Friendly
Prep 5minCook 7min4 servings
More Stir-fry →