Nakji-jjigae

A spicy, robust stew featuring Korean small octopus (nakji), vegetables, and a gochugaru-forward broth.

Nakji — the small, slender Korean octopus, distinct from the larger cephalopods used in Japanese and Mediterranean cooking — is a beloved ingredient in Korean coastal cuisine, valued for its bouncy, pleasantly chewy texture and its affinity for red pepper. In jjigae form, the octopus is simmered in a gochugaru and gochujang broth alongside tofu, spring onion, and mushrooms until it reaches the perfect balance between tender and springy, releasing its own faint brininess into the spiced broth. The dish is closely associated with Mokpo in South Jeolla Province, a port city so synonymous with nakji that local restaurants feature live octopus preparation and serve the animal in multiple forms across a single meal. Nakji-jjigae is also a standard anju dish across Korea, its spice and oceanic flavour considered ideal foils for makgeolli (rice wine) or soju. Folk belief in traditional Korean medicine holds that nakji is restorative for the liver, giving the stew a quasi-medicinal reputation that bolsters its popularity as both a weekend lunch and an after-drinking recovery meal. The tentacles, with their rows of suction cups, present a charmingly dramatic visual in the pot.