Yoon Yi-ryeon's Low-Water Octopus Sukhoe

Name: Yoon Yi-ryeon's Low-Water Octopus Sukhoe
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 2kg fresh octopus; 1 handful coarse salt (for cleaning); 1/2 to 1 cup water (80–160ml); 1 soju glass soju; 1 soju glass vinegar; 1 soju glass maesil syrup (optional)

Octopus sukhoe that maximizes the octopus's natural juices and tender texture by steaming it with the vapor of soju, vinegar, and maesil syrup using almost no water.

40 min Difficulty Normal drinking snack

Main ingredients

octopuscoarse saltsojuvinegarmaesil syrup

Ingredients needed 3 servings

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octopus coarse salt vinegar maesil syrup

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2kg fresh octopus

1 handful coarse salt (for cleaning)

1/2 to 1 cup water (80–160ml)

1 soju glass soju

1 soju glass vinegar

1 soju glass maesil syrup (optional)

Recipe

Turn the octopus head inside out, remove the innards, and cut off the eyes. Sprinkle a handful of coarse salt on the suction cups and scrub vigorously to clean off any debris and slime.
Make a deep cut with a knife into the thickest inner connecting part of the legs, which tends to cook slowly, so that the octopus cooks evenly throughout.
In a large pot, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water, soju, vinegar, and maesil syrup—each measured with one soju glass—and bring to a boil.
Once the water boils, dip the tips of the octopus legs into the boiling liquid repeatedly to shape them attractively.
Place the octopus in the pot, cover with a lid, and once steam starts escaping around the lid, continue cooking for about 2 more minutes, then turn off the heat.
Immediately remove the cooked octopus and plunge it into ice water to cool quickly and lock in the chewiness.
Pat the cooled octopus dry, wrap it in foil or plastic wrap, and freeze it briefly. Then, slice it thinly by tilting the knife as if filleting.

Clean the octopus by removing the innards and eyes, and scrub the suction cups with salt.
Put water, soju, vinegar, and maesil syrup in a pot, add the octopus, cover, and cook with low moisture.
Cool the octopus in ice water, freeze briefly, then slice thinly to finish.

Cooking tips

When scrubbing with salt, if the outer skin of the octopus peels off, it will look unattractive after cooking, so rub the salt only on the suction cups.
Cutting open the thickest central part of the legs, which cooks slowly, allows the head and legs to cook at a uniform rate and prevents toughness.
When slicing octopus sukhoe, freeze it for about 30 minutes to 1 hour first; then the knife won't slip and you can slice it thinly and beautifully like in a restaurant.

Recommended for

Those who have failed to cook octopus because it always turns out tough.
Those who want to shape a beautiful and neat octopus for a holiday or ancestral rite table.
Those who want a chewy, high-quality snack to dip in chojang or oil sauce.

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