Spicy Dried Squid (오징어채 무침)

ojingeochae muchim, one of my favorite childhood side dishes

Ojingeochae muchim (오징어채 무침) is a Korean side dish consisting of shredded dried squid which is covered in a delicious spicy and sweet gochujang seasoning. This was one of my favorite side dishes as a kid, and it still remains one of my favorites today! 

This dish is considered as mitbanchan (밑반찬) which means side dish. You would typically eat this dish alongside rice and perhaps soup.

Ojingeochae (오징어채) is seasoned dried squid slices. You can find this at any Korean grocery store. Ojingeochae can also be eaten on its own. It’s delicious as a snack! :D

I used KoreanBapsang’s recipe found here: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/ojingeochae-muchim/

Ingredients
6 ounces shredded dried squid, ojingeochae
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 teaspoons gochugaru, Korean red chili pepper flakes
3 tablespoons gochujang, Korean red chili pepper paste
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1.5 teaspoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1.5 teaspoons sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon sesame seeds

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Directions

1. Rinse the 6 ounces of dried squid with water and drain. Then cover the squid with 3/4 cup water and let it sit for 20 minutes, flipping the squid once at the 10 minute mark. You can also choose to cut the squid into smaller pieces with scissors.

2. Heat 2 tbs cooking oil over low heat in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, add 3 tsp gochugaru to the pan and stir until it becomes pasty. Remove from heat. Then add 3 tbs gochujang, 3 tbs corn syrup, 1.5 tsp soy sauce, and 3/4 tsp minced garlic. Stir everything together then heat the pan over medium heat. Keep stirring, and cook until the sauce mixture boils. Remove from heat, then add 1.5 tsp sesame oil and 3/4 tsp sesame seeds. Stir everything together and let this seasoning sauce cool down to room temperature.

3. After 20 minutes, drain the water from the squid and squeeze out any excess water. Then add the seasoning sauce over the squid and use your hands to massage everything together.

4. Enjoy! Store in the refrigerator. This should keep well for a couple of weeks.

Have you ever tried this side dish before?