dried octopus

[inigoaguirre]

hi there,

i have just bought some dried octopus in lisbon.

so far the only think i have been able to think of is the basic browning and slicing, as a snack with a vinagrette and a beer...

i have also did a stock, but it just tasted as normal octopus stock; i was specting a stronger aroma and flavour.

has anyone any ideas on how to prepare this dried octopus?

thanks a lot,

íñigo

sorry, cant upload the pictures. you can click here on my blog to view the photos:

http://inigoaguirre.wordpress.com/2008/05/...bfesto-se-come/

Edited May 12, 2008 by inigoaguirre (log)

[Peter Green]

We brought back a couple of kilos from Korea.

We've used it pretty much anywhere that we want to introduce a really chewy flavour. Pajeon (Korean pancakes) was the latest, and we've sliced it thin and used in ramen.

We've also used it in risotto, and been happy with the texture it adds there.

[Hiroyuki]

In Japan, dried octopus is much less popular than dried squid (surume). I don't think I have ever had it before. I did a quick good search and found it is a specialities of some areas and islands in Japan. It can be simply grilled just like dried squid and eaten as an appetizer or snack. It can also be cut into smalll pieces and cooked together with rice and other ingredients to make "takikomi gohan", and can be It can also be reconstituted, cut into pieces, and deep-fired as "kara-age".

Edited to add: We more often eat raw, boiled, and vinegared octopus.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Hiroyuki (log)

[inigoaguirre]

In Japan, dried octopus is much less popular than dried squid (surume).  I don't think I have ever had it before.  I did a quick good search and found it is a specialities of some areas and islands in Japan.  It can be simply grilled just like dried squid and eaten as an appetizer or snack.  It can also be cut into smalll pieces and cooked together with rice and other ingredients to make "takikomi gohan", and can be It can also be reconstituted, cut into pieces, and deep-fired as "kara-age".

Edited to add:  We more often eat raw, boiled, and vinegared octopus.

←

thanks! doent octopus become more chewy when you leave it in vinegar? from my experience the muscle seems to contract when exposed to an acid

another question (sorry, i dont speak japanese) how is the octopus reconstituted?

Edited May 13, 2008 by inigoaguirre (log)

[Ce'nedra]

I'd imagine dried octopus would be lovely in making stock (well, I'm talking from my experience of dried squid...but they're similar...right?).

[helenjp]

I have eaten it, just as a snack - I don't think it would ever "reconstitute" completely even with thorough soaking.

Stock - that's a good idea, though dried octopus is so expensive it seems a pity to do anything but eat it as is!

[Ce'nedra]

I think some of the best stock (we tend to make chicken stock at home) include dried squid/octopus as part of the ingredients.

It adds a slightly smoky sweetness...not sure how to describe it exactly but there's definately an added dimension to the flavours.

We never (hardly) make stock without it!

[Hiroyuki]

I had assumed that dried octopus should simply be soaked in water to be reconstituted. I found two ways that may be of interest:

(from here)

●干しタコの下処理(戻し方)●Ａ： 厚手の鍋に1/2カップの水を入れ、フタをして７～８分むし焼きにする。

水がなくなったら取り出し熱いうちにうすくきざむ。

Ｂ： 水の中に１～２時間程入れてじゅうぶん水に戻し、次に焼いて熱いうちにうすくきざむ。

A: Put 1/2 cup of water in a heavy pot, (add dried octopus), put on a lid, and "steam" for 7-8 min.

When the water is gone, take out the octopus, and thinly chop while it is hot.

B: Put dried octopus in water in 1-2 hours to reconstitute it fully. Then, grill it and thinly chop while it is hot.

***

I don't know whether octopus becomes chewier when vinegared. I think I get the opposite impression... Raw octopus, when prepared correctly, is surprizingly soft!

I really don't think the Japan Forum is the right place to start this topic. Maybe it should be moved to the Cooking Forum?

[MoGa]

I really don't think the Japan Forum is the right place to start this topic.  Maybe it should be moved to the Cooking Forum?

←

There are very few countries where dried octopus is used and has traditional dishes for it.

The OP comes from one of them and even he is unfamiliar with how his fellow countryfolk prepare and use dried octopus as it is a speciality from a different area to his (from what I can tell, 'pulpo seco' is used in some parts of Andalucia. I know that it is sold in my local market in Alicante, but the only people I know who eat it there - like my uncle - merely grill it... he has a 'yamabushi' side to him and likes to fend for himself in the mountains, pulpo seco is perfect 'survival food' for him. It is extremely expensive.)

But, even in Spain, and even in Spanish, there is very little information about preparing these traditional but obscure dishes. Lots of information about preparing 'pulpo a la Gallega' though!

----

I think the reason the question belongs here is that there is hope that somebody may have information about how dried octopus is used in Japan. It seems already that as an ingredient it is just as obscure as 'pulpo seco' even though it is undoubtably a Japanese ingredient familiar to many Japanese people.

My own family in Japan have eaten dried octopus regularly over the past few decades, during the 'bubble years' they probably had a hand in selecting much of the octopus (and squid) that went to Japan from the East Atlantic. But for reasons helenjp has covered they've never done more than eaten 'raw' or grilled the dry stuff.

But I can't help but strongly suspect that somewhere in Japan there are regions, towns or villages that are doing something quite delightful with this ingredient.

I'm probably just as curious about learning about this as inigoaguirre is. I can research in Spanish and read articles such as this one from El Pais (or this discussion by some Basque cooks), alas neither I, nor the OP can do the same in Japanese.

Finding the uses different cultures have for the same ingredients I think is very exciting.

Edited May 14, 2008 by MoGa (log)