Jinmichae Bokkeum
진미채볶음·(jin-mi-chae bo-kkeum)
Halmoni's Dosirak: The Packed School Lunch
Open a lunchbox in a 1995 Ohio cafeteria, and you'd likely find a small compartment glowing with a sticky, bright red tangle of seafood. This is jinmichae bokkeum. Making it at home, however, comes with a legendary trap: cook it like a normal stir-fry, and it turns into impenetrable rubber. The modern grandmother's secret to circumventing this tragedy requires zero extra equipment—just a humble spoonful of mayonnaise and strict off-the-heat glazing to guarantee the exact glossy, addictive bite of childhood.
Before you start
Toss the cut squid with mirin and let it rest for three minutes.
If the squid feels exceptionally stiff right out of the bag, run it under warm water for ten seconds and squeeze it totally dry before hitting it with the mirin.
Massage the mayonnaise aggressively into the squid.
Get in there with your hands and work the mayo into every strand until it feels soft and pliable.
Ingredients
- white dried shredded squid7 oz
- mirin2 tbsp
- mayonnaise2 tbsp
- neutral cooking oil1 tbsp
- gochujang3 tbsp
- gochugaru1 tbsp
- soy sauce1 tbsp
- garlic3 med clove
- brown sugar1 tbsp
- Korean starch syrup3 tbsp
- water2 tbsp
- toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Combine the glaze ingredients in a cold skillet.
Add the neutral oil, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, starch syrup, and water, stirring to combine.
- 02
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the raw garlic mellows out, yielding a thick, shiny syrup after a minute or two.
- 03
Kill the heat completely.
This is the most crucial move in the entire recipe; if you cook the squid over an active flame, you will inevitably turn it into jerky. Move the pan to a cool burner if you're using an electric stove.
- 04
Immediately dump the mayo-coated squid into the hot pan.
Grab some tongs and toss vigorously. The residual heat of the pan and the sauce is more than enough to warm the squid through and fuse the glaze into every crevice.
- 05
Finish with sesame oil and seeds.
Once the squid is beautifully red and sticky, drizzle in the toasted sesame oil and hit it heavily with the sesame seeds.
Notes
Use light corn syrup if you can't find Korean starch syrup.
Mulyeot is mandatory for the sticky, glossy sheen, but standard light corn syrup is an exact chemical match that works perfectly.
Cool completely before storing.
Let it cool in the pan before transferring to an airtight container in the fridge. Thanks to the mayo and the off-heat tossing, it will stay tender for up to three weeks.
From Cook Korean in America.