Spicy Stir-Fried Udon With Squid and Octopus

Spicy noodle dishes are my absolute favorite! For this meal, you’ll make a fiery sauce to coat mixed squid and octopus, stir-fried with veggies and noodles.

It’s easy to make and full of flavor: spicy, umami, and a little bit of sweet. In Korean, this dish is called 오징어 와 낙지 우동국수 볶음.

I would recommend a trip to the Korean market for this recipe. Grab a frozen bag of mixed squid and baby octopus, and if you don’t have it already, get some gochugaru (crushed red pepper) and gochujang (spicy red pepper paste made with soy beans fermented with gochugaru).

Is it an indulgent meal? Well it’s noodles, so kind of. But the ratio of noodle to protein and vegetables is less than most pasta dishes.

Here’s what you need:

• ~3 cups chopped squid/octopus mix
• ½ medium onion
• 3 green onion
• 1 anaheim pepper or chili pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp sugar or sugar substitute
• 2 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1-2 tsp gochugaru
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp your preferred cooking oil
• 1 bundle of udon noodles

Heat water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook your udon noodles for 7 minutes, then drain and rinse with cool water so your noodles won’t stick.

Put your octopus and squid into a bowl and mix well with sugar and garlic (smashed and chopped). Set aside.

Chop your onion and peppers into thin slices and set aside. Chop your green onion and split into 2 piles. In a separate bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang and gochugaru and mix well to make sauce.

Heat oil in a large saute pan or wok and add the 1st pile of your green onion. Let cook for one minute. Next, add in the squid and octopus and cook for one minute (it cooks extremely fast, do not overcook or it will be super chewy). Add in your onion, peppers, noodles and prepared sauce. Mix well and let cook for 2 minutes.

Before serving, top with the 2nd pile of green onions and serve. 맛있게 드세요! (Bon appetit!)

Print Recipe

Spicy Stir-Fried Udon With Squid and Octopus

Dinner – Asian, Korean

By Janice Yucel – Serves: 3

Prep Time: 25 Minutes – Cooking Time: 5 Minutes – Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

• ~3 cups chopped squid/octopus mix
• ½ medium onion
• 3 green onion
• 1 anaheim pepper or chili pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp sugar or sugar substitute
• 2 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1-2 tsp gochugaru
• 2 tbsp your preferred cooking oil
• 1 bundle of udon noodles

Instructions

1

Heat water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook your udon noodles for 7 minutes, then drain and rinse with cool water.

2

Put your octopus and squid into a bowl and mix well with sugar and garlic (smashed and chopped). Set aside.

3

Chop your onion and peppers into thin slices and set aside.

4

Chop your green onion and split into 2 piles.

5

In a separate bowl, add soy sauce, gochujang and gochugaru and mix well to make sauce.

6

Heat oil in a large saute pan and add the 1st pile of your green onion. Let cook for one minute.

7

Next, add in the squid and octopus and cook for one minute

8

Add in your onion, peppers, noodles and prepared sauce.

9

Mix well and let cook for 2 minutes.

10

Before serving, top with the 2nd pile of green onions and serve.