Ojingeo-bokkeum

Chewy squid stir-fried with vegetables in a fiery gochujang sauce.

Ojingeo-bokkeum is a quintessential Korean seafood banchan that brings together the ocean's chew with the peninsula's signature fiery-sweet sauce in a single blazing-hot wok. Squid is scored in a crosshatch pattern before cooking so that it curls into attractive rings and tubes as it hits the heat, while also absorbing the gochujang, soy, garlic, and sesame oil marinade more deeply. Onions, green onions, carrots, and sometimes zucchini are added to provide sweetness and textural contrast to the tender yet slightly bouncy squid. The dish is a staple of Korean dosirak — packed lunch boxes — where its punchy flavor holds up well at room temperature and motivates children and office workers alike to finish every grain of rice. Coastal regions of Korea have their own pride in the freshness of their squid, and seaside pojangmacha tent stalls along the East Sea are famous for serving this dish beside cold beer on summer evenings.