Soju
A cold pour stands up to the spicy sauce.
KOREAN FOOD · FROM HEAT TO FINISH
07 / 22
01 · THE DESTINATION
Jjukkumi Bokkeum: Spicy Stir-Fried Baby Octopus
Baby octopus curls through a fiery gochujang pan with cabbage and onion. Add pork belly for jjuksam, then cool each bite with perilla, mayonnaise, or flying-fish roe.
02 · BEFORE THE HEAT
Keep the Octopus Tender
Clean baby octopus, drain it well, and prepare sauce, cabbage, onion, scallion, perilla, and optional pork belly separately. Excess water is the enemy of a glossy stir-fry.
03 · FIRST MIX
High Heat, Short Cooking
Sear pork belly first when making jjuksam. Add vegetables and sauce, then fold in octopus near the end so it cooks quickly instead of turning rubbery.
04 · THE PAN TAKES OVER
Fold, Do Not Drown
Keep the sauce moving over strong heat until it clings to the octopus and vegetables. Add noodles only after excess liquid has reduced.
05 · READY TO SHARE
Leave It on Low Heat
Lower the burner once the octopus is just cooked. The table keeps the pan warm while everyone takes small portions.
06 · BUILD THE BITE
Perilla Changes the Heat
Place octopus and pork on perilla with a touch of mayo and roe. The cool, herbal leaf turns the spicy pan into a balanced one-bite wrap.
07 · SAVE THE PAN
Rice Gets the Last Sauce
Chop the remaining octopus, add rice, seaweed, sesame oil, and roe, then press it thin until the underside crisps.
WHAT TO DRINK · WHAT COMES AFTER
KEEP THE TABLE
GOING.
Lager
Carbonation cools the heat and pork fat.
Maesil Tea
Cold plum tea brings sweet acidity.
Vanilla Cone
Simple soft serve resets the palate.
WHERE TO EXPERIENCE IT
TWO PLACES
WORTH THE TRIP.
One pick from the food’s best-known regional home, plus one accessible Seoul choice. Check the latest listing before visiting.
REGIONAL PICK
Yongdu-dong · Seoul
Na Jeong-sun Halmae Jjukkumi
The restaurant most closely associated with Yongdu-dong’s spicy jjukkumi street.
OPEN IN GOOGLE MAPS ↗SEOUL PICK
Mugyo-dong · Seoul
Yurim Nakji
A classic central-Seoul destination for intensely spicy stir-fried octopus.
OPEN IN GOOGLE MAPS ↗Coming to Korea? Use these as carefully selected starting points—and enjoy the dish where its local story feels most alive.
MAKE IT AT HOME
A SIMPLE
HOME-STYLE RECIPE.
INGREDIENTS
Spicy Jjukkumi Bokkeum
- Cleaned baby octopus 600g
- Cabbage 250g
- Onion 150g
- Scallion 60g
- Gochujang 45g
- Gochugaru 25g
- Soy sauce 25ml
- Sugar 25g
- Minced garlic 20g
- Corn syrup 20ml
- Sesame oil 10ml
METHOD
- 01
Rinse and drain the octopus very well; cut only the largest pieces.
- 02
Mix gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, corn syrup, and sesame oil.
- 03
Stir-fry onion and cabbage over high heat, then add sauce and reduce any released water.
- 04
Add octopus last and toss for only 3–5 minutes, until curled and opaque. Overcooking makes it rubbery.
HOME NOTEFor jjuksam, brown 250g sliced pork belly first and use its rendered fat for the vegetables.
NEXT EXPERIENCE