Are you tired of the same old recipes in your dinner rotation these days? Wake up your sleepy tastebuds with this Spicy Octopus Stir Fry with Noodles recipe! Fiery baby octopus is sauteed with veggies and nestled next to chilled noodles and seasoned soybean sprouts. And it’s easier to make than you think because you can get some help from the freezer!
Thanks to Seoul Mills, I was introduced to this frozen stir-fry kit from Happy Table, which consists of baby octopus marinated in a bold spicy sauce! This takes care of most of the hard work for you, and all you have to do is fry it up in a pan with veggies and eat it over rice or noodles! By the way, in case you’re wondering, “baby octopus” aka jjukkumi (쭈꾸미) is just the name given to certain species of fully grown adult octopus, because of their smaller size. I like them because they’re tender, as long as you don’t overcook them! Watch how I like to use this spicy baby octopus mix it in our VIDEO BELOW:
Seoul Mills is a company that sells good quality Korean ingredients to the U.S. online and they are sponsoring this post! You may remember this video, where I did an unboxing of some unique Korean ingredients they sent me for fun. They make sure they vet all their vendors and sell only trusted products. And one of those gems is this spicy octopus kit!
The best part is that you have a chance to win it! That’s right…I’m hosting a pretty awesome GIVEAWAY with Seoul Mills, who has offered to send 8 packs of this Spicy Octopus Mix straight from the seas of Korea to one lucky winner’s front door, packed in dry ice! C’mon…doesn’t that sound pretty sweet? This definitely passed the Chef Julie Yoon flavor test…so I know you won’t be disappointed. Once you taste it, especially with the noodles, it will leave you craving more! Here are the rules to enter: SPICY OCTOPUS GIVEAWAY!!!
Even if the giveaway is over, you can still purchase your own kits here: Spicy Baby Octopus Set from Happy Table. Also, be sure to use JULIEYOONSM for a 15% one-time-use discount code, good until the end of November 2020.
As a PSA, please be aware that there is a listing for both SPICY and EXTRA SPICY octopus. Raw octopus has been marinated for 36 hours in a robust sauce made with Cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추), the hottest peppers in Korea. So even the SPICY is almost too hot for me to handle. I can’t even begin to imagine how much sweating you’d do with the extra spicy, but of course the choice is yours!
Before you go running off scared by what you just read, rest assured that the chilled noodles, bean sprouts, and fried egg in this dish really help compliment the dish SO WELL and make it more mild. There’s also a subtle sweetness in the sauce from ripe jujube fruit, which adds a nice rounded depth and makes it addictively pleasant.
If you were to make spicy octopus stir-fry, otherwise known as nakji bokkeum (낙지볶음) or baby octopus stir fry known as jjukkumi bokkeum (쭈꾸미 볶음) from scratch, you’d have to whip up your own spicy sauce mixture and prep the octopus by massaging it in either flour or salt to clean out the tentacles and make it more tender. With this kit, the work is done for you and all you have to do is dump it into the pan along with some stir-fried cabbage, onions, and carrots. You could also use other veggies, like zucchini if you wish. There’s no wrong way to do it!
The combination of the crunchy seasoned soybean sprouts, tender octopus, and chilled noodles together will make your tastebuds dance. And don’t skip out on the shredded roasted seaweed or fried egg!
That egg really helps to coat your mouth and make the dish less spicy. The crispy shredded seaweed adds a deep savory sesame flavor. This meal has all the textures and flavors you want in one invigorating dish, so I find myself wanting to go back for more after every bite. Happy Table really got it right and they spent months perfecting their recipe. I think you’ll really be able to taste the love in their product.
Some Tips To Make the Octopus Less Spicy:
- Don’t mix the saucy octopus and veggies into your noodles or rice all at once. Mix and eat as you go, until you’re sure you can handle the heat!
- Eat it at a cooler temperature.
- Enjoy with a cup of milk. The milk helps coat your tongue.
- As an alternative, turn it into a fried rice and add melted mozzarella cheese or a fried egg on top. Melted cheese on spicy foods is all the rage in Korea. It’s a great unexpected combo!
You can easily eat this over plain hot rice and call it a day, but Joe and I think the hot temperature makes the overall dish hotter! It’s super yummy this way, but we really enjoy it more with the chilled noodles. So try out this spicy stir fry mix so that the next time you’re in a recipe rut, all you have to do is look into your freezer!
This post is sponsored, but you know that I’m always honest with you and only share the things I genuinely love and think you will enjoy as well. To make this Spicy Octopus Stir Fry, this is my current favorite pan that I use. It is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission from it at no extra charge to you. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about this or any of the products mentioned.
Korean Spicy Octopus Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
For the Soybean Sprouts:
- 8 oz Korean Soybean Sprouts (Kongnamul / 콩나물)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced on bias
- 1-2 tsp sesame oil
- Salt to taste
- Sesame seeds for garnish
For the Spicy Octopus Stir Fry + Noodle Bowls:
- Vegetable oil, for cooking
- ½ onion, cut into ½-inch slices
- ¼ head of green cabbage, cored and chopped into bite sized slices, ½-inch thick
- 1 medium carrot (or half of a large one), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on a bias
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 350g package of Spicy Baby Octopus Mix from Happy Table
- 3 tsp sesame oil, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 7 oz somen noodles
- Shredded roasted seasoned seaweed
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish, optional
- 2 eggs, fried, for topping
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring a pot of water to a boil (do not salt the water). Add the beansprouts and cook for about 2 minutes on a boil. Fish them out of the water with a skimmer or tongs and rinse in cold water. Do not discard the water (you will use it again for the somen noodles). To the beansprouts, add the sesame oil, garlic, scallion, sesame seeds, and salt to taste. Mix well to incorporate seasoning. Set aside.
- In the same pot, add the somen noodles. Cook according to the package instructions, but they usually take 2 minutes on a boil. Drain and rinse well in cold water to prevent overcooking. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, toss, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with a little vegetable oil and fry the eggs until set, but yolks are still runny. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- In the same pan, add a little more vegetable oil and heat over medium high. Add the vegetables and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Once softened, add the octopus with sauce as well as most of the scallions (hold some back for garnishing at the end). Coat the vegetables with the sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes on high. Do not overcook the octopus or it will get tough. Turn off heat and add the last 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Toss to incorporate. Garnish with leftover scallions and sesame seeds if desired. To serve, add noodles, beansprouts, shredded roasted seaweed, and as much of the octopus mix as desired in a bowl. You will probably have some leftover. Top with a fried egg and garnish with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
