Aeri's Kitchen

Korean Food and Recipes

Spicy Squid and Watercress ChoMuChim

오징어 미나리 초무침, OJingEo MiNaRi ChoMuChim

by 25 Comments

Koreans like seafood a lot, so there are many different kinds of seafood dishes in Korean cuisine. Since I moved to the U.S.A, it has been difficult for me to find fresh seafood because we are living far away from any ocean. For that reason, I have not been posting many seafood recipes, even though there are many seafood menu items that I would like to share with you. Anyway, we recently went to one of those big Korean grocery stores (in different state) and I finally got some fresh squid and watercress. Watercress is another ingredient that is hard to find where we live. This food is very common in Korea, especially in my hometown of GwangJu. The unique flavor of watercress is great in combination with the boiled squid and the spicy sauce. Oops, I am hungry for this again, but I guess I’ll have to wait for another trip to the Korean store. 😥 I’m happy to share this delicious Korean food with you. 😉

Yield: 2 Cups

Short Korean Lesson

  • OJingEo (오징어) = Squid
  • MiNaRi (미나리) = Watercress

Video Instructions


Main Ingredients

  • 1 Medium Squid (About ⅔ Cup)
  • 3.5 oz Watercress
  • ⅓ Cup Onion
  • ½ Cup Cucumber

Seasoning Ingredients

Directions

 

To make a fancy pattern in the squid, make horizontal scratches in the squid with a knife. The lines should be about ¼ inch apart. Be very careful to not press too hard or you will cut the squid.

 

Divide the squid in half.

 

Next, make scratches in the squid like before, but in the vertical direction and about ⅛ inch apart. Every third scratch, cut all the way through. You will get about ⅔ of a cup.

 

Prepare 1 handful (3.5 oz) of watercress. Remove the bad parts and wash it. Cut the watercress into 3-inch lengths. Normally, you can just cut them in half.

 

In boiling water, add the watercress and some salt. Boil it for about 20 seconds on high. The salt and the short boiling time help keep the watercress green.

 

20 seconds later, quickly put the boiled watercress in ice water. This is another tip for maintaining its nice green color.

 

In 2 cups of boiling water, add the squid. Cook it for about 3 minutes on high.

 

The boiled squid will have a nice pattern.

 

Squeeze the water out of the watercress. You will get about ⅓ cup of watercress. In this step, slice a ⅓ cup of onion thinly and cut ½ cup of cucumber diagonally.

 

In a mixing bowl, combine the squid, watercress, onion, cucumber, and the seasoning ingredients: 2½ Tbsp red pepper paste, ½ Tbsp red pepper powder, 4 tsp vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp sesame oil, and ¼ tsp salt.

 

Mix everything together. Wow, this is mouth watering. 🙂

 

Serve it with rice, soup, and other Korean side dishes. It tastes best when it is fresh, but you can keep it for about 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator. Enjoy. 🙂

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Comments

  2. hihi, aeri, besides make horizontal scratches in the squid , we will also make vertical scratches, then will come out square pattern after cooked, square shape will appeared, will you normally do this?

    Reply

  4. aahh, love watercress too 😛 i will try this new way to cook it 😉 i mostly cook it in soup (with pork or beef stock).
    actually, it’s the same story here in holland. it’s hard to get fresh seafood like we do in asia 😕

    Reply

  8. How delicious! Watercress is really hard to get down here as well, unless I drive the four hours to Atlanta to get some. However, when I was little, one of my aunties planted some in a ditch behind her house and a ton started growing back there. She’s sinced moved, but I sometimes wonder if the watercress is still there. I’d check, but the house has been sold, and I think the new owners would think me odd if I asked to go in their backyard and pick weeds from their ditch. LoL

    Reply

    • hi Sandy,
      wow.. 4 hours @,@ maybe you have to plant the watercress.. we are planning it for next year.. oh.. I will like to go that house and check if they are still there too.. lol we can ask them.. if they need cleaning weed for free… lol

      Reply

  10. Hi Aeri, It has been awhile that I didn’t post any comment on your website, but I follow you on facebook so I am still in the loop. I want to try this Spicy Squid and watecress dish. Looks good to me. But just like you it is hard to find fresh seafood where I live. I will probably have to settle with frozen squid…it might not taste the same but will see.

    Reply

  11. Hi Aeri!

    I’ve been a silent reader at your blog for a while now and have tried a number of your recipes. Thank you so much for posting so many wonderful recipes. This one looks so mouth watering and I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

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