Today I’m going to introduce you to a simple, flavorful seafood dish called ojingeo-bokkeum. It’s spicy Korean stir-fried squid, one of my all-time favorite dishes. It’s easy to make that if you do it once you’ll probably be able to make for the rest of your life! : )
This recipe is very special to me because it’s the first one I ever shared on YouTube, on April 9, 2007. I filmed it with a very simple point-and-shoot camera (Sony Cybershot DSCW50) so the quality is not very good, and I used music that was protected by copyright, which YouTube later removed. This video really needed a remake in HD.
I was living in Toronto, Canada at the time, and I never would have known that I would still be cooking Korean food on YouTube so many years later. But I’ve met so many wonderful people around the world through my videos that it’s truly one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.
This dish is incredibly easy to make once you get the ingredients together. I’ve been making it so long I don’t even remember where I learned it! It’s like a part of me. And I don’t remember why I decided to make a video about it except that me and my Korean coworkers used to go to a Korean restaurant all the time in Toronto and eat ojingeo-bokkeum there. They all loved it, but I thought to myself: “Mine is better.”
You can use more or less hot pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it, and you could substitute squid for chicken, or even king oyster mushrooms if you’re a vegetarian.
Good luck with making delicious ojingeo-bokkeum!
Ingredients
Serves 2 to 4
- 1 pound cleaned squid, cut into bite size pieces (about 2″ x ½”)
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
For seasoning paste:
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
Vegetables:
- 12 green onions, cut into 2 inch long
- 1 green chili pepper, sliced
- 1 medium onion (about 7 ounces), sliced
- 1 small carrot (about ½ cup worth), sliced into thin strips (about 2″ x ½”)
Directions
Make slurry
- Combine the potato starch and ¼ cup water in a small bowl and mix well.
Make seasoning paste
- Combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hot pepper flakes, and sugar in a bowl and mix well.
Stir fry!
- Heat up a pan over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil and stir-fry the onion, carrot, green onion, and green chili pepper for about 7 to 8 minutes until the green onions are wilted and the onion is a little translucent.
- Add the squid and seasoning paste. Stir fry for a few minutes until the squid turns opaque.
- Mix in the slurry and cook for 30 seconds.
Serve
- Serve right away as a side dish for rice.
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
Maangchi, this is so great. I ALWAYS order hot squid at Korean restaurants and have been dying to cook it on my own because they are costly on the menu! I wanted to ask you about the hot sauce paste that you made – is it the same as ‘gochujang’ sauce sold in Korean stores?
no, it’s not gochujang. I posted how to make the hot paste sauce in the recipe. “Prepare a small bowl and make hot paste by mixing 5 cloves of minced garlic, 2½ tbs of soy sauce, 2 tbs hot pepper flakes, and 1 tbs sugar.”
Hi again Maangchi – tried making this tonight and it is wonderful! Tastes just like the Korean restaurant’s! The only thing I didn’t have was sesame oil but I had sesame seeds and added those as a garnish. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
oh, my, Lyndal, thank you very much for letting me know about your successful spicy squid dish making!
That looked really good! I’ve never seen anyone prepare a large squid before so thanks for demonstrating how to clean one. It was so nice to hear those Morrissey songs while watching you make that great food!
: ) Thank you! The squid was under my control!
I think frozen squid is usually fresh enough. I choose firm, shiny, and a little blue and gray.
I made this dish and it is delicious! I used several small squid instead on the big squid you used becuase that was what I had. I bought the squid frozen. One of the squid tasted much fishier than the others when I was eating it, which makes me think that perhaps it was older. How do you tell which squid are the best and freshest?
maangchi i love your website!! after sooo many times I wanted to give up on making kim chi, but oh my….the kim chi is great!! I found out that my problem was overdoing the pepper mixture on the cabbage leaves. I love making kim chi jiggae, but sometimes i think it is somewhat a light bitter taste? is that how it should be?
I hope you have more recipes posted because they are sooo helpful! I love korean food
InMySeoul,
haha, you must really like spicy food. How about using 5 tbs of hot pepper flakes?
Using chicken for this recipe is brilliant! Thank you so~ much for proofreading! I updated it now. : )
Hi Maangchi!!
I made Ojinga Bokkeum last night, with a slight variation…I used chicken instead of squid. It turned out great, except I would like it spicier. I also think I should have marinated the chicken so the spicy sauce soaks all the way through the meat. How would you recommend making it spicier? Add more of the “pepper paste”?
Also, On your recipe for this dish you forgot to put “Carrots” as part of your ingredient list :)
Annyung Maangchi,
I loved the recipe!
I can’t wait to learn more korean dishes.
My boyfriend is korean and he was happy that i knew how to cook a korean dish. And it’s all thanks to you.
Thank you for all your hard work and great videos.
Is it hard to acquire red pepper paste?
Hi Maangchi, how are you? I’ve looked through your website. I’m very thankful and excited in learning your receipes. But I would like to ask you for a favor that can you please check to see if there’s any video on how to make bibimbap and side dish spicy baby octobus please. I’ve tried to watch them online, however, they didn’t work. Can you please double check to see if there’s any network problem?
Thank you so much.
Kate,
Yes, sure, your request is already accepted! : ) It’s called “oh jing uh bokkeum”.
Hi there,
Please add seasoned schredded squid on your next list of recipes to share. I had some at a Korean restaurant recently. It was a sweet (probably from added sugar)and spicy side dish; it was red in color and delicious. I wish I can remember what it’s called. I hope you know which one I am talking about.
Thank you.
James,
You can use baby octopus for this recipe, too. I would use more green onions.
There are 2 kinds of baby octopus: with long legs and short legs. Don’t forget to take a photo to show the dish to me and others.
I’m looking forward to seeing your baby octopus dish! (Naak ji bokkeum: 낙지볶음: long legs) or Zzu koo mi bokkeum (쭈꾸미 볶음: short legs)
Maangchi, I’m gonna make this recipe with baby octopus. You got any tips for me? I’ve never cooked octopus before. I guess I’ll just prepare it like you would the squid. I hope it doesn’t turn out too tough.
Thanks Maangchi!
Hi,CC,
It’s kimchi pancake. Mix chopped kimchi, water, flour, sugar, salt and make pancake. It’s very easy to make.
Maangchi, I found a website that has the picture of the side dish I was talking about ^^
http://donnacooks.wordpress.com/2007/10/30/korean-bbq-in-carrollton-kalbee-house/
Its the middle one, on the description I read, it says tofu square with soy sauce reduction?
Sorry to annoy you with this ^^;;
and Thanks! :D
CC,
I have no idea what it could be.
Next time you see the dish at a korean restaurant, ask them what it is. You make me very curious about the dish now. : )
Hi Maangchi,
You are a legend ^__^
I went to this Korean Restaurant and they have this side dish look like either fishcake, or tofu? It is orange in color and thinly sliced..I love it very much but I have no idea what it is and how to cook ^^;; Do you have any idea what that is? and how to cook? :) Sometimes they dont have that side dishe and I will feel sooo disappointed..
Thanks Maangchi :D
Hi, Anonymous,
I already posted Soybean stew. Check out my recipe “Tofu stew)(Doen jang jjigae).
Thanks,
Dear Maangchi,
Thank you for uploading the ingredient list. Very useful indeed. By the way, could you teach us how to make soy bean stew?
Thanks
Ruth,
Wow, very quick!
Last night I posted the pictures of korean ngredients and you already saw it.
Yes, the hot pepper paste (gochujang) is used for bibimbap.
I’m glad you are happy about the noodle picture.
Many thanks for putting up the photos under the new section “ingredients’, they are very useful (esp the jja jjang noodle which I have taken a closer good look, but still searching hard!). Is gochujang the paste used in bibimbap please?
ruth
lillian,
I can’t help smiling while reading your question.
I’m sure it is “Hong Uh Hwae”,pickled ray fish. Most Koreans love the dish including me!
Actually I have never seen any westerner who likes the dish. : ) It’s very popular food in southern part of South Korea.
Hi Maangchi,
I’m wondering about a kind of kimchi (or maybe it’s something else) that I find at the Korean restaurant. I don’t like it :P, even though I try it every time, and I really want to know what it is.
It’s served along with all the little dishes that come with a meal, like the kimchi and radish. It probably a type of preserved fish. It has long, tan-colored strips that are a bit spongy and slightly chewy and taste fishy. There are also some green onions and things mixed in. Do you know what this is?
Maybe if I know what it is I can ask them not to put it on my tray so that it doesn’t go to waste next time. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity!
Agasuka,
While reading your explanation about what it looks like, I feel hair rising. oops! : ) You said it has something looking like teeth inside of tentacles? Awww!
funny story. Where do you live? Do you have some korean friends around you there?
There were frozen legs only, no head. The legs were long and think! I needed to peel off the suckion cups from the legs… I saw something like teeth inside those cups…
He was not my real uncle, just a married Korean old man, therefore, I assume he expects extra respect from me.
Since he is older than me, I will not argue whether it was squid/octopus… He said it’s squid, then it must be squid (by words), on my mind, it’s still octopus. Ha ha!
Agasuka,
Yeah, you are right. It must be octopus. What did its head look like? Squid’s head looks like triangle and octopus’s head looks like circle shape. : )
Anyway, I saw the pictures of your dish on your blog. It looks very delicious. I tried to see it very carefully to find out what it is, but it was not successful. lol,
You chopped it and cooked with other ingredients.
You called the korean man who gave you the seafood “Aa Juk See”. Omit “k” from “Juk”. It will be pronouced “Aa Jeo See” Anyway Aa Jeo See means any married man.
Uncle is “Sam Chon”.
Thanks
Hello Maangchi,
A Korean A Juk Ssi(uncle) gave me a big block of frozen ‘squid’ which he fished. He said it was squid, but I believe it was octopus, since the legs are so thick (~3 cm).
Anyway, he instructed me to cook it with ramen noodles… I was … huh??? !!! ???
So today, I cooked it in a traditional chinese way but add a touch of Korean fusion into it.
Stir fried ‘Squid/octopus’ legs in Chinese Garlic Black bean sauce with Korean twist
Ginger, Garlic, Lee Kum Kee Brand Garlic Bean Paste, Go Chu Jang, Onion, Green chili pepper, Green Onion, a LOT of sesame oil, sesame seed
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!fRcxarKTFxY5k6QGsJ605Q–/
Hi,Sandy,
Your squid dish looks so delicious! I’m very glad to see your well-made squid dish! And also your kimchi! omg, you are not going to buy a jar of kimchi anymore.
I also found some pictures of fruit that you posted. Actually a good quality of dragon fruit is very delicious. I did not like durian when i tasted for the first time in Indonesia. It smelled like garlic. But now I think I like it now. : ) A few months ago, I had frozen durian here and it was like ice cream.
I hope many people visit your blog to see the picture of your squid dish.
Thanks
This is the fourth recipe I’ve tried from your site and each one has turned out wonderfully and more authentic than anything I’ve gotten out of a cookbook. I’ve posted pics on http://sprater.livejournal.com/7529.htmlI love coming back again and again to your site to learn all the new recipes.
Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into your videos.
yeah, that’s a very quick dish if you prepare all ingredients beforehand. You must be interested in korean cooking,too. : )
Hey, thanks. So it’s kind of fast, actually! I was never sure how long, because of the squid’s texture. Today Bulgogi & Bujingae is on the menue. I’ll try my best :O)
Hi,Andreas,
You are my first commenter in this blog. Welcome and thanks!
It will take about 10 minutes for you to cook this squid dish after you prepare all the materials.
Anyoung!
Hi Maangchi. What a great blog you have. My question: How long do you finally cook the squid? Thanks & Anyong!