Sweet and Spicy Ojingeo Silchae Bokkeum (Stir Fried Shredded Dried Squid)
A dry side dish made by toasting shredded dried squid in an ungreased pan to remove off-flavors, then quickly tossing it in a sweet and spicy sauce.
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 →
Thin, tender shredded dried squid is first toasted in an ungreased pan to remove fishiness and revive its crisp texture. Quickly tossing it into a gently simmered gochujang sauce keeps it moist and tender without clumping. Because it has no excess moisture, it makes a great lunchbox banchan or lasting side dish.
- Servings
- about 3–4 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Shredded dried squid100 g
Seasoning
- Cooking oil2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1/2 tbsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Water2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
- If you hold a large clump while cutting, it will stick together again, so spread it out and cut into 3 to 4 sections.
- If any parts are clumped together, shake them apart with both hands to loosen them well so they do not stick when stir-fried.
Steps
Cut the shredded dried squid into bite-sized lengths, dividing it into 3 to 4 sections.
If you grab a lot at once while cutting, it tends to clump up again, so spreading it out before cutting makes it much easier.
If any parts are stuck together, shake and pull them apart with both hands.
Loosening them well beforehand prevents them from sticking while stir-frying and makes cooking much easier.
First, place the squid in a dry pan with no cooking oil and stir-fry until lightly golden and crisp.
It burns easily, so you must stir-fry slowly over very low heat.
Toasting it beforehand removes its characteristic off-odors.
Because the strands are so thin, they tend to droop limply, but toasting them once until crisp makes it much easier to mix them in when stir-frying with the seasoning in step 2.
Let's make the sauce.
Over low heat, add all the seasoning ingredients except the toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds, and simmer gently until well blended.
If the sauce is too thick, it can form clumps when tossing, so adding water thins it to a smooth consistency.
Add the shredded dried squid and toss while loosening the strands so the sauce coats everything evenly.
When stir-frying, keep the heat on very low so the sauce does not cool down.
If you turn off the heat out of fear of burning, the sauce will cool and may clump rather than coat smoothly.
Moving your hands quickly to mix the sauce evenly is the key point to making shredded squid stir-fry.
Once the sauce has coated everything evenly, turn off the heat, add the toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds, and toss once more to finish.
Ppunwife's tips
- It burns easily when toasted in a dry pan, so you must stir-fry it slowly over very low heat.
- If the sauce is too thick, it can form clumps when tossing, so add water to keep it smooth.
- Keep the heat on very low while stir-frying so the sauce does not cool down. If you turn off the heat out of fear of burning, the sauce will cool and may form clumps instead of blending smoothly.
- Moving your hands quickly so the sauce coats everything evenly is the key point to shredded squid stir-fry.
FAQ
Should I not turn off the heat completely when tossing the shredded squid in the sauce?
If you turn off the heat, the sauce cools down and can form clumps instead of blending smoothly, so keep the heat on very low and toss quickly.
Why is water added to the sauce?
If the sauce is too thick, the shredded squid can clump together when tossed, so adding water loosens it to a smooth consistency.
Why is it toasted in a dry pan first before cooking?
It removes off-odors and crisps up the limp shredded squid, helping it mix easily without clumping when tossed with the sauce in the second step.
