Nakji Bokkeum (Korean Spicy Octopus)

Whenever I go to Korea to visit my family, they ask me to make a list of foods I want to eat. Nakji bokkeum, or spicy stir-fried octopus, is always one of the top items on my list! This is a classic Korean comfort food dish that always has you going back for more. As a young child, I was not very fond of octopus, but when my mom introduced me to nakji bokkeum everything changed and I was hooked.

This dish can be served alongside somyun (wheat flour noodles) or on top of a hot bowl of rice. I personally love eating it with somyun, because the sauce perfectly coats the noodles in spicy goodness.

One of my favorite things about nakji bokkeum is the textural variety of the dish. The chewy octopus is perfectly balanced out by the crunch from the bean sprouts! I also added onion, red chilli peppers and zucchini to my nakji bokkeum to make this a better rounded meal.

This is a dish I gravitate to on those cold winter nights, or when I want to eat something spicy. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Print Recipe

Nakji Bokkeum (Korean Spicy Stir-fried Octopus)

Classic spicy Korean dish with stir fried vegetables and octopus.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Nakji bokkeum, Octopus, Spicy food

Servings: 2

Calories: 180kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb Octopus Fresh or frozen
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Flour
• 1/2 Zucchini
• 1/4 Onion
• 2 Red chilli peppers
• 3 Green onion
• 4 cloves Garlic Minced
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 cup Bean sprouts

Marinade

• 1 tbsp Korean red chilli paste Gochujang
• 3 tbsp Korean red chilli flakes Gochugaru
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 cloves Garlic Minced
• 2 tbsp Sugar

Instructions

• Mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl and set aside
• Take your octopus and place it in a small bowl with 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp flour. Massage the flour and salt into the octopus for about 30 seconds
• Rinse octopus with water thoroughly, pat dry with paper towel. Cut into bite size pieces.
• Cut zucchini into thin half moon shape pieces, thinly slice onions, red chilli peppers and green onion.
• Heat a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and minced garlic to pan. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add marinade and 4 tablespoons of water to pan with garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly reduced.
• Add zucchini, onion, red chilli peppers and green onion to pan. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 3-5 minutes.
• Increase heat to high. Add octopus to pan with vegetables. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes until octopus is cooked through.
• Add beansprouts to pan and stir until they are slightly wilted.
• Remove from heat, garnish with sesame seeds and serve with somyun (wheat noodles), or rice.