Ojingeo-bokkeum (Spicy Stir-Fried Squid)

Ojingeo-bokkeum lives or dies in the pan. Squid is generous when you treat it quickly, and sulky when you don't. Give it strong heat, a dry surface, and two or three minutes only. It should curl and turn opaque, then leave the fire before it tightens into rubber.

This is not a dish to drown in red sauce. The gochujang and gochugaru should cling to the squid and onion, not pool at the bottom of the plate. My teacher, Master Seong-nyeo, would tap the pan with her chopsticks when she saw water gathering. That meant the cook was late. The vegetables went in too wet, the pan was too small, or the squid stayed too long.

Tonight this dish asks for preparation before heat: score the squid, slice the vegetables, mix the sauce, set the rice on the table. Once the pan is hot, there is no time to go looking for the garlic. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway. That is how a quick dish stops depending on luck.