On chilly days like this, gathering with family to enjoy hot and delicious stir-fried dishes is simply the best. Today, let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen and try our hand at making spicy baby octopus and cheesy baby octopus in Korean style!
1. Spicy Korean Baby Octopus
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Spicy Korean Baby Octopus Serves 4
Baby octopus 550 g Carrot 1/2 piece Onion 1 piece Green onion 1/2 stalk (small type) Green chili 1 piece Red chili 1 piece Ginger juice 1 tablespoon (crushed ginger; squeeze for juice) Chopped ginger 1 teaspoon Flour 2 tablespoons Gochujang 3 tablespoons Oligo sugar 1 tablespoon Korean chili powder 2 tablespoons Toasted sesame a little Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Sesame oil 1 teaspoon Salt/Pepper a little
Information about some types of ingredients
Oligo Beksul Syrup?
- Oligo sugar or Oligosaccharide is a type of sugar concentrated from natural fresh fruit sap.
- This type of sugar usually has a transparent color, a mild sweet taste, and is often used to enhance the flavor of dishes.
- With its natural fruit origin, Oligo sugar is very good for health and the digestive system. Additionally, it helps in weight loss as it contains fewer calories compared to regular sugar or other sweetening syrups.
What is Korean Gochujang Chili Paste?
- Gochujang chili paste is a popular condiment that embodies the cultural characteristics of the Korean people.
- The main ingredients of Gochujang chili paste are usually fresh chili and fermented soybeans.
- This chili paste has a smooth, thick consistency, a moderate spiciness, and a distinctive chili aroma suitable for soup, hotpot, grilled dishes, stir-fried dishes,…
Notes when buying Gochujang chili paste and Oligo Beksul syrup
- You can find Oligo sugar and Gochujang chili paste at supermarkets, grocery stores that sell imported products, or reputable stores specializing in Korean products.
- For packaged products, you should carefully check the expiration date, ensure the outer packaging is intact, no tears or discoloration, and the product inside shows no signs of mold, unusual stains, or leakage.
- If you cannot find Oligo sugar, you can use white granulated sugar or molasses sugar instead.
Make the spicy sauce
Add 3 tablespoons of Gochujang chili paste, 2 tablespoons of Korean chili powder, 1 tablespoon of Oligo sugar, 1 tablespoon of ginger juice, 1 teaspoon of minced ginger, and 1/3 teaspoon of ground pepper into a bowl, and use a spoon to mix well until the ingredients are combined.
Blanch octopus
Place a pot of water on the stove, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Next, add the octopus to the pot and blanch for about 3 – 5 minutes until the octopus is firm, then remove it and let it cool.
Tip: You should only blanch the octopus until just cooked; do not boil the octopus for too long as it will become tough and not tasty.
Make spicy chili sauce octopus
Heat a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat it, then add the sliced onion to sauté until fragrant.
When the onion is aromatic, add the scallions and the entire mixed sauce into the pan, stir well and sauté for another 2 minutes for the ingredients to cook evenly.
Add carrots, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and the blanched octopus into the pan and continue to stir for another 3 – 5 minutes so the octopus and vegetables absorb the seasoning evenly.
Finally, add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and a little toasted sesame to the pan, mix well and turn off the heat.
Final product
Just a few simple steps and you have a delicious plate of spicy stir-fried octopus! The octopus is chewy and sweet, served with crunchy and sweet vegetables, soaked in a spicy and rich sauce that is incredibly stimulating to the taste buds. This dish served hot with rice or noodles will be fantastic.
2. Baby octopus with spicy chili cheese sauce
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Preparation
25 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Baby Octopus in Spicy Cheese Sauce Serves 4
Baby octopus 300 gr Ginger 10 gr Minced garlic 1 tablespoon Green onion 1 stalk Chili 6 pieces Satay chili 1 tablespoon Vegetable butter 10 gr Morazella cheese 100 gr Palm sugar 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Vinegar/wine a little Ginger 10 gr
Ingredient Image
How to Prepare Baby Octopus in Spicy Cheese Sauce
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Prepare the octopus
To remove the slime and fishy smell from the octopus, after buying it, clean it, cut off the internal organs, and wash the octopus in a mixture of water with vinegar and wine. Then rinse with cold water and drain.
Wash the chili, remove the stem, and then finely chop it. Peel the ginger, wash it with water, and slice it thinly.
Put a pot on the stove, pour in about 500ml of water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add 10gr of sliced ginger, and briefly blanch the octopus in hot water for about 1 minute.
Then remove it and place it directly into a bowl of ice water. Soak the octopus for 5 minutes. Afterwards, remove it and drain.
Tip: Soaking the octopus in ice water will help make it chewier and tastier.
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Make spicy sauce
To make the spicy chili sauce for this dish, add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 5 finely chopped chili peppers, and 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar, and mix well.
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Cook octopus
Place a pan on the stove, add 10g of vegetable butter, wait for the pan to heat up, and the butter to melt completely, then add the entire mixture of garlic, chili, and coconut sugar. Next, add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of chili paste, and mix well for about 1 minute.
Then, add all the octopus and mix well, cooking for an additional 3 minutes.
Add 100g of Mozzarella cheese on top. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes for the cheese to melt. After that, season again to suit your taste and turn off the heat.
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Final Product
The dish of baby octopus with spicy chili cheese sauce is completed with an enticing aroma from the cheese, and the octopus retains its sweetness and chewy texture when enjoyed with the rich and spicy sauce, making it extremely appealing.
You can enjoy this dish with bread or white rice.
How to choose fresh and delicious octopus
- For live octopus, choose those that are still flexible and move quickly; do not buy those that move slowly and have sluggish eyes.
- For frozen octopus, choose those that have a natural gray-brown color, with a moderate hue that is not too dark or too light.
- Freshly frozen octopus should have bright white flesh and smooth, silky skin, and especially should not be swollen.
Tips for cleaning octopus to avoid fishy smell
- Wash the octopus with water, then use a knife to cut the head in half.
- After cutting the head, remove all the internal organs, scrub it, and then wash the octopus with water mixed with vinegar, alcohol, or crushed ginger to eliminate the fishy smell.
- Finally, rinse again with clean water. Additionally, to remove the fishy smell and sliminess, you can also rub the octopus with flour or cornstarch, then rinse it clean with water and let it drain.
Now you have an additional dish, Korean spicy baby octopus and cheese sauce octopus to add to your cookbook. Wishing you success with the shared recipes from TasteVN!
*Refer to the images and recipes from the YouTube channel W Table and Cooky TV.
