Ojingeochae muchim is one of the most popular side dishes for Korean lunchboxes (“doshirak“). I learned this recipe from my cousin Kyeong in Korea, who was attending university when I was in high school. I couldn’t believe how tasty it was when I tasted her ojingeochae muchim because it was much softer than my own stir-fried ojingeochae bokkeum!
Each strip of squid incorporated with the shiny red sauce was so juicy that you could finish your rice easily without drinking water. You wouldn’t even think about kimchi! : )
Kyeong has been living in New York for a long time. A few months ago, I gave her some of my ojingoechae muchim along with some other side dishes. She called me later and said: “The ojingeochae muchim was so delicious! My husband loved it. How did you make it? Please give me the recipe!”
I said, “Aigo! don’t you remember? This recipe is from you!” She did not remember!
Anyway I gave her the recipe over the phone. “1 package of dried squid, ½ cup…”
Later I asked her how her ojingeochae muchim turned out. She said: “It was not tasty as yours. When you post the recipe, please let me know. I should see the video recipe!”
Isn’t it funny? This recipe is one of the simplest recipes that I have. I even don’t cook it but just mix it! I will let her know this recipe is on now. She prefers my video recipe to my spoken recipe with my real voice! Hahaha!
Ingredients
1 package of dried shredded squid (1 pound), hot pepper paste, garlic, olive oil, corn syrup (or rice syrup), toasted sesame oil, roasted toasted sesame seeds.
Directions
- Cut 1 pound of dried shredded squid into bite sized pieces and set aside.
- Make seasoning sauce by mixing ½ cup hot pepper paste, 4 cloves minced garlic, ⅓ cup olive oil (or vegetable oil), mulyeot (either rice syrup or corn syrup) ⅓ cup, 2 tbs toasted sesame oil in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until it becomes a shiny red sauce.
- Put the squid strips into the seasoning sauce and mix it with a spoon.
- Transfer it in an air-tight container and keep in the refrigerator
You could serve it with rice as side dish. Sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds just before serving.
Let’s prepare a lunchbox with the ojingeochae muchim that we learned today!
Cut a sheet of kim (seaweed) in half with scissors and place a spoonful of rice on it.
Spread thinly, then roll it. Cut into smaller pieces, and you have cigarette gimbap!
Wanna learn these 2 other side dishes?
Korean rolled omelet side dish It’s called gyeran mal yee (or gyeran mari) in Korean.
Enjoy the recipes!
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 for that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
Thank you Maangchi, this is juicy like you said :)
I left out the syrup because I’m pre-diabetic, and it is still very delicious. I love my seafood jerky :P
Just one question: could I add a little Ginger to it? And if so: how much?
Yes, why not? Maybe one teaspoon, minced?
Instead of rice syrup or corn syrup, can I use honey instead?
This is one of my favourite banchan. Can pregnant women eat this banchan? Im worried because Im not sure if the dried squid is cooked? Thank you :)
Yes, you can eat this side dish when you are pregnant. Anyway congratulation on your pregnancy!
I love this!!!
Do you need to soak and rinse the squid as the package states? or do you just use it as is right out of the package
You don’t need to wash it. Use it right out of the package. When it’s mixed with the seasoning sauce, it will get soft and tasty.
Hi Maangchi!
Just wondering how long this dish will last in the fridge?
Thanks!
It will be ok up to 1 month!
I live in the UK and I can’t find anywhere that sells dried squid online, there are no Korean shops near me either! Help! Does anyone know where I can buy this? Thanks x
My husband loves this but, has new limits to his sugar and spice consumption. Thanks to this recipe with a few modification, he was able to enjoy this yesterday. I reduced the hot pepper paste, subbed the corn syrup with half Sugar-free Honey and Sugar-free Maple Syrup. My family loved it.
This stuff is really addictive, I’ve to stop myself before I finish the whole batch in one sitting! Good quality shredded squid is a bit harder to find here and a small amount is already not cheap. Hence I tried what another person used: dried fish fillet strips (looks like paper cut using a straight-cut shredder). Sometimes it’s marked as dried cod fillet snack but I seriously doubt there is any cod in it. It’s originally a bit hard & dry but the sauce helps to soften it up, ok as a cheaper substitute though the squid would be a lot more delicious and fragrant.
As an experiment, I tried adding other ingredients to two portions: one with fresh lemon juice and the other with minced fresh ginger. Wow, it was really a taste sensation! The lemon version was refreshing & helped to balance out the sweetness. The fresh ginger version matched the minced garlic & chilli paste perfectly to bring the savoriness up to totally another level; those 3 ingredients were practically harmonizing in my mouth!
I used rice syrup instead of corn syrup as I think it’s tastier and also reduced the amount of oil as I don’t like too oily stuff. I did try adding mayo as suggested by others but personally didn’t like the final taste. One good thing about making your own food is being able to fully control the seasoning like reducing the spiciness if your family members can’t take the heat.