Korean Spicy Stir-Fried Squid Rice Bowl
Quick answer
- Total time
- 27 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 12
About this dish
Scored squid, onion, cabbage, and scallion are stir-fried together in a gochujang-based sauce over high heat and served on a bowl of steamed rice.
Read more
Cutting a crosshatch pattern into the squid before cooking causes each piece to curl into a compact cylinder as it hits the heat, producing a thick, bouncy texture while giving the sauce more surface area to cling to. Because squid turns rubbery in a matter of minutes if left on the heat too long, the vegetables go into the pan first to drive off their moisture, and the squid is added only for the final three to four minutes over maximum heat. The sauce, built from gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, caramelizes quickly against the hot pan and coats both the vegetables and the squid in a glossy, deep-red glaze. The natural sweetness of the onion and cabbage tempers the chili heat and keeps the dish balanced rather than one-dimensionally spicy. Leaving a small pool of sauce in the pan when plating allows it to soak into the rice, making the whole bowl worth mixing together before eating.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Pat 300 g squid dry, then score the inside of the body in a shallow crosshatch pattern.
Cut it into bite-size pieces so the pieces curl neatly and hold sauce when they hit the hot pan.
- 2Prep
Slice 120 g onion, 100 g cabbage, and 40 g scallion into similar thicknesses.
Cut any thick cabbage core thinner so the vegetables soften at the same pace without leaving hard pieces in the bowl.
- 3Season
Mix 1.5 tablespoons gochujang, 1 tablespoon gochugaru, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic.
If the paste is too stiff to spread, loosen it with just one spoonful of water.
- 4Control
Heat the pan well over high heat, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil, then stir-fry the vegetables for about 2 minutes.
Keep them moving until excess moisture reduces and the onion edges look slightly translucent.
- 5Season
Add the squid and sauce, keeping the heat high, and stir-fry quickly for only 3 to 4 minutes.
Stop once the squid curls and the sauce turns glossy, before the squid tightens and becomes tough.
- 6Finish
Turn off the heat and drizzle in 1 teaspoon sesame oil to keep its aroma clear.
Spoon the squid and the slightly loose sauce over 2 bowls of cooked rice, then mix and serve while hot.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Crosshatch scoring lets squid curl and absorb more gochujang sauce in this spicy rice bowl.
- Finish cue
- Stop once the squid curls and the sauce turns glossy, before the squid tightens and becomes tough.
- Avoid this
- Cook squid briefly over high heat to avoid toughness.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
27min, 12 ingredients
Category median
40min, 8 ingredients
Based on 309 recipes
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