International dishesStir FriesKoreaabout 25 minutes
Korean spicy cheese baby octopus is a hot, punchy dish to drink with. The pleasure is the springy octopus under a layer of cheese that pulls into strands. The difficulty is timing, since overcooking shrinks the octopus and turns it tough.
The octopus is blanched for exactly 1 minute with sliced ginger, then chilled in ice water for 5 minutes to firm it up. The cheese goes over the top and the lid stays on for 3 minutes more, just until it melts.
This batch weighs about 540g, at roughly 128 calories per 100g.
Method
Clean the octopus, remove the innards, then wash it in a mixture of water, vinegar and cooking wine, rinse it in cold water and drain.
Wash the chilies, trim the stems and mince them. Peel the ginger, wash it and slice it thinly.
Bring about 500ml of water to a boil, add the sliced ginger and blanch the octopus for 1 minute. Lift it into a bowl of ice water for about 5 minutes, then drain.
Mix 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 5 minced chilies and 1 tablespoon of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend.
Melt 10g of margarine in a pan, add the garlic and chili mixture and stir for about 1 minute.
Add the octopus, toss well and cook for another 3 minutes.
Scatter 100g of mozzarella cheese over the top, cover and cook for about 3 minutes more until the cheese melts, taste once and turn off the heat.
Tips
Chilling the octopus in ice water after blanching makes the flesh springier.
Shredded mozzarella gives the best cheese pull.
Blanch for exactly 1 minute and lift it out, since longer shrinks the octopus.
Washing the octopus with vinegar and cooking wine clears the slime and the smell.
Fry the garlic and chili in the butter for exactly one minute, as butter left on the heat burns and turns bitter.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.