Rich Bulnak Jeongol (Beef and Octopus Hot Pot)
A nourishing hot pot for 2 to 3 people made by simmering seasoned beef bulgogi and prepared small octopus in anchovy broth.
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 →
This hot pot dish simmers seasoned beef and octopus together, bringing out deep savory flavors from both land and sea into the broth. Pre-soaking the glass noodles in boiling water prevents them from soaking up all the broth, keeping it clean and plentiful. It makes a hearty nourishing dish, perfect for hot summer days or Sambok stamina days.
- Servings
- 2–3 servings
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Beef bulgogi300 g
- Small octopus (nakji)2 (large)
- Sweet potato glass noodles (dangmyeon)50 g
- Onion1/2
- Squash1/4
- Ssukgat (crown daisy)a little
- Enoki mushrooms1/2 pack
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Red chili pepper1
- Large green onion (daepa)1/2 stalk
- Flour2 tbsp (for cleaning octopus)
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)2 tbsp
- Salta little
- Anchovy broth5 cups
Bulgogi Seasoning
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Minced green onion2 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1/2 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little
Octopus Seasoning
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Minced green onion1 tbsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Minced ginger1/2 tsp
- Toasted sesame oil1/2 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little
- You can use rice cakes or udon noodles instead of glass noodles.
- Pour rolling boiling water over the glass noodles and soak them for at least 10 minutes.
- Octopus shrinks significantly once cooked in liquid, so you can generously prepare about twice the amount of the beef.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare beef for bulgogi and 2 large small octopuses.
Adding sweet potato glass noodles that are fun to pick out, enoki mushrooms, and fragrant ssukgat makes the broth even more delicious.
For the rest of the vegetables, I prepared what I had at home in small amounts: squash, onion, large green onion, and chili peppers.
Instead of glass noodles, rice cakes or udon noodles are also delicious.
Season the bulgogi
Press the beef bulgogi firmly with paper towels to remove excess blood.
Cut it into bite-sized pieces and separate any stuck-together slices.
For the bulgogi seasoning, use 1 tbsp regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp minced green onion, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, and a little ground black pepper.
Add both the meat and the seasoning to a bowl, then mix and massage gently by hand so the seasoning absorbs evenly.
Clean the octopus
Cut open the head of each octopus and turn it inside out to reveal the entrails.
Pull them away with your hands to remove them.
Cut away the eyes and remove the beak as well.
Add flour to the octopus and scrub vigorously with your hands to remove impurities and eliminate any fishy odor.
Rinse several times under running water, squeeze gently down the length of the octopus to remove excess moisture, then cut into pieces that are not too short.
Season the octopus
Put the octopus and all seasonings into a bowl and mix gently with your hands so the flavors absorb.
For the octopus seasoning, use 1 tbsp regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp minced green onion, 1 tbsp gochugaru, 1/2 tsp minced ginger, 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, and a little ground black pepper.
Cut the vegetables and soak the glass noodles
Cut the vegetables into thick pieces.
Pour rolling boiling water over the sweet potato glass noodles and leave them for at least 10 minutes to soften nicely.
If you add unsoaked glass noodles directly to the hot pot, they will soak up all the broth, so it is best to soak them beforehand if you want plenty of broth.
Simmer
Add the beef bulgogi, squash, and onion to a hot pot pan, pour in 5 cups of anchovy broth, and bring to a boil.
Once the meat is mostly cooked, add the octopus, large green onion, and chili peppers, and cook briefly.
Season with 2 tbsp soup soy sauce, adjust with salt if it tastes bland, and finish by adding the glass noodles, ssukgat, and enoki mushrooms.
Finish
It looks hearty and delicious just looking at it.
With a variety of ingredients, picking out different bites is so enjoyable.
With beef bulgogi, octopus, and glass noodles all together, the whole family will love it without hesitation.
It is the perfect dinner menu for the family to enjoy together.
If you are looking for something other than chicken on hot summer stamina days, try making bulnak jeongol.
Once you try it, you will crave it often.
Octopus shrinks quite a lot once it goes into liquid, so feel free to prepare a generous amount, about twice as much as the beef.
This is a bulnak jeongol recipe I have loved for a long time.
Ppunwife's tips
- Adding unsoaked glass noodles directly into the hot pot will soak up all the broth, so it is best to soak them in advance if you want to keep plenty of broth.
- Octopus shrinks substantially once cooked in liquid, so try preparing a generous amount, about twice as much as the beef.
FAQ
Can I use other noodles or add-ins instead of glass noodles?
Rice cakes or udon noodles go very well in place of glass noodles.
How do I remove the slimy texture and fishy odor from the octopus?
Add 2 tbsp of flour to the octopus and scrub vigorously with your hands, then rinse several times under running water to remove impurities and any off-flavors.
Why should the glass noodles be pre-soaked before adding them to the hot pot?
If you add dry, unsoaked glass noodles directly, they will absorb the hot pot broth quickly, so it is best to soak them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes first.
When should the octopus be added so it does not get tough?
Add the seasoned octopus once the beef bulgogi is mostly cooked, and cook it briefly to keep its texture tender.
