Bulnak Jeongol (Beef and Octopus Hot Pot)
A hot pot dish of seasoned beef and small octopus simmered with vegetables and sweet potato glass noodles.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
Seasoned beef and small octopus are sauteed separately, then simmered generously with kelp broth, vegetables, and glass noodles. The rich, spicy broth makes it wonderful as an accompaniment for drinks or as a hangover cure.
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Small octopus (nakji)320 g
- Beef200 g (bulgogi cut)
- Kelp broth750 ml
Other ingredients
- Sweet potato glass noodles (dangmyeon)100 g
- Rice cakes3
- Onion1/3
- Ssukgat (crown daisy)to taste
- Mushroomsto taste
- Thin scallionsto taste
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Red chili pepper1
Beef marinade
- Soy sauce1 tbsp
- Garlic1 tsp
- Sugar2 tsp
- Toasted sesame oil1 tsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tsp
Small octopus marinade
- Soy sauce1 tbsp
- Sugar2 tsp
- Garlic2 tsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tsp
Broth seasoning
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Garlic1 tbsp
- Salt1 tsp
- For the small octopus, approx. 3 whole if large, or 6 whole if small.
- Pat away the blood from the meat before cooking.
- Adjust the amounts of mushrooms, ssukgat, onion, thin scallions, Cheongyang chili peppers, and red chili pepper to your liking; adding just one or two kinds of vegetables is also fine.
- Soak the sweet potato glass noodles in cold water and drain them.
- First, scrub the small octopus vigorously with flour approx. 2 times to remove any fishy odor, then add coarse sea salt and scrub vigorously approx. 2 times to clean impurities from the suckers.
- If you do not have water steeped with kelp, use plain water and add a little Dasida.
- When ingredients in your fridge are limited, you can substitute pork bulgogi for the beef and squid for the small octopus.
Steps
I prepared beef cut for bulgogi. Beef ribs are even better if you have them.
Pat the blood off the meat before cooking.
For the small octopus, approx. 3 large or 6 small are enough.
Adjust the amounts of mushrooms, ssukgat, onion, thin scallions, Cheongyang chili peppers, and red chili pepper to your taste.
It is delicious even if you add only one or two kinds of vegetables.
I cut 3 rice cakes in half. Soak the sweet potato glass noodles in cold water and drain them.
If you put dry noodles straight in, they absorb all the broth, so soaking them in advance is good.
To clean the small octopus, scrub it vigorously with flour approx. 2 times first
to remove the characteristic fishy odor.
Add coarse sea salt and scrub vigorously approx. 2 times.
This cleans away impurities from the suckers and gives them a firmer, chewier texture.
Season the beef with the marinade ingredients above.
Season the small octopus with its marinade ingredients as well.
Stir-fry the marinated beef in a hot pot pan.
Cook it quickly over high heat and transfer it to another plate.
Add the seasoned small octopus to the hot pot pan and cook it.
Once the small octopus is cooked through...
Add the cooked beef back in and pour in the broth.
I used kelp broth, but if you do not have it, use plain water with a little Dasida.
Pour in enough broth to submerge the ingredients and bring to a boil.
Skim off the foam as it boils...
Add the onion...
Season the broth now. Season with gochugaru, garlic, and salt,
and add ground black pepper or sugar to your taste.
Add the rice cakes, soaked glass noodles, and all the remaining vegetables, then bring to a quick boil.
Ppunwife's tips
- If you put dry noodles straight in, they absorb all the broth, so soaking them in advance is good.
- Scrubbing with coarse sea salt cleans away impurities from the small octopus suckers and gives them a firmer, chewier texture.
FAQ
How should I clean the small octopus to remove the fishy smell and impurities thoroughly?
Rub it with flour about twice to remove the fishy odor, then rub it again twice with coarse sea salt to wash away impurities from the suckers, which makes the texture chewy and firm.
How can I substitute if I don't have kelp broth?
You can use plain water instead of kelp broth and add a small amount of Dasida to season the base broth.
Can I replace the beef or small octopus with other ingredients?
Using pork bulgogi instead of beef or swapping in squid for the small octopus works very well.
Why do you soak the glass noodles in advance?
If you put dry noodles straight in, they absorb the broth quickly, so it is best to soak them in cold water beforehand and drain them before adding.
