Osam Bulgogi
Osam bulgogi is technically made with squid, but in this case I'm using octopus. I tried this for the first time at a bulgogi restaurant, and I was blown away by the flavors. Spicy, savory, garlicky, and sweet that just goes so well with everything and especially some rice. This is my attempt to recreate this at home; it went pretty well other than the fact that the octopus that I used was incredibly tough. I probably overcooked it and could likely solve this by adding it later into everything.
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 3 hr
Ingredients
bulgogi sauce
> gochugaru (3 tbsp)
> gochujang (3 tbsp)
> sugar (0.5 tbsp)
> maple syrup (2 tbsp)
> rice vinegar (1 tsp)
> soy sauce (2 tbsp)
> rice wine (1 tbsp)
> sesame oil (1 tsp)
> garlic (8 cloves, minced)
> ginger powder (1/8 tsp)
> black pepper (a little bit)
putting everything together:
> octopus / squid (1/2 lb, cleaned, cut into pieces)
> pork belly (1/2 lb, sliced)
> onion (1/2, thinly sliced)
> green onion (3 stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces)
> cabbage (cut into squares)
> carrot (1, thinly sliced diagonally)
> (optional) bean sprouts
> perilla leaves (~3, cut into thin strips)
Instructions
1. Marinade: make the bulgogi sauce by mixing all the ingredients together. Put the squid and pork belly in two separate bowls. Divide the sauce and thoroughly mix in both bowls. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
2. Stir-fry over medium-high heat. Start by adding the pork belly and cooking for ~1 minute. Add all the vegetables and continue to stir-fry until roughly halfway cooked. Finally, add the octopus and continue to stir-fry until everything is cooked. Add the perilla leaves and mix.
3. Serve: enjoy with rice! Or optionally, make some fried rice with the leftover sauce + ingredients after most of the dish has been eaten.
Notes/Tips:
> I suggest using pork belly that isn't too thin and using larger pieces for squid / octopus. This is to prevent those ingredients from overcooking while the vegetables are still cooking.
> The instructions for when to add the pork belly / vegetables / octopus are all very hand-wavy and honestly depend more on the shape / size of the ingredients. Adjust as needed.
> Honestly, pretty much all of the ingredients are optional. You could make this without the seafood if you're not a fan, you could use pork shoulder for less fat, and you could add whatever vegetables you want as long as they're not too strongly flavored.