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Ojingeo Bokkeum (오징어볶음)

Seafood

Spicy squid stir-fry, best over rice.

Korean name
오징어볶음
Spice level
Spicy
Flavor
spicy · sweet
Typically contains
squid
Vegetarian / vegan
Not vegetarian — meat or seafood is core to the dish
Typical price
₩9,000–₩13,000 per person checked 2026-07 — varies by area
Good to know
Beginner-friendly ●●●○○ Solo dining ●●●○○ Kid-friendly ●●○○○
Also written as
ojingeo, ojinguh bokum, spicy squid stir-fry

Spice and flavor are editorial assessments of the standard version — individual restaurants and recipes vary. Ingredient notes are typical, not guaranteed: always check with the restaurant for allergies or dietary needs. Eating and cooking notes describe common practice in Korea; our first-hand deep-dives live in the Eat Like a Local guides.

Ojingeo Bokkeum (오징어볶음)

What is Ojingeo Bokkeum?

Ojingeo-bokkeum is the household squid standard: rings and scored strips stir-fried with onion, carrot and cabbage in a balanced sweet-spicy sauce. Gentler than its octopus cousins, it's lunch-set royalty — most Koreans' first 'spicy seafood over rice' memory comes from this dish.

How to eat it

  1. Eat over rice, or ask for it 'deopbap' style (sauce-on-rice) at lunch counters.
  2. Somyeon noodles alongside are a classic accompaniment.
  3. The scored squid pieces curl into pine-cone shapes — tender is correct, rubbery means overcooked.

Cooking it at home

  1. Score squid in cross-hatch, cut into pieces.
  2. Stir-fry vegetables first, then squid with gochujang-gochugaru-soy-sugar sauce on max heat.
  3. 90 seconds for the squid — pull it the moment it curls.

Good to know

  • Squid goes rubber past the 2-minute mark — the fastest-punishing protein in Korean cooking.

The approachable middle of the spicy-cephalopod spectrum — start here, graduate to nakji.

Nutrition

Calories128 kcal
Carbohydrate7.43 g
Protein9.85 g
Fat6.52 g
Sodium310 mg

Per serving (~200g): ≈256 kcal · sodium ≈620 mg (31% of the WHO daily guideline, 2,000 mg)

Per 100g · total serving 200g · Official data: National Integrated Food Nutritional Information Standard Data (Korea MFDS) (DB item: 오징어볶음, synced 2026-07-17). Values vary by recipe and portion.

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