Octopus Rice 章魚飯

A beloved Hong Kong comfort dish featuring tender braised octopus served over fluffy steamed jasmine rice, enriched with savory sauce made from oyster sauce, soy sauce, and aromatics. The octopus is tenderized through slow cooking until melt-in-mouth tender, then diced and layered over rice with a silky sauce coating.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ingredients

• 800g Fresh octopus
• 300g Jasmine rice
• 600ml Water for cooking rice
• 4 cm Ginger, sliced
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 whole Scallions, cut into segments
• 4 tablespoons Oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons Soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 600ml Chicken stock
• 1 whole Star anise
• 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons Sesame seeds, for garnish
• 2 whole Scallions, sliced for garnish

Steps

1. Clean octopus thoroughly under running water, removing the ink sac and any debris. Cut into chunks.
2. Rinse jasmine rice under cold water until water runs clear. Set aside.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and scallion segments, stirring for fragrance.
4. Add octopus chunks to the wok and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes to seal the flesh.
5. Pour in chicken stock, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and star anise. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to low, cover the wok, and simmer octopus for 45-50 minutes until very tender.
7. While octopus is cooking, cook jasmine rice. Combine rice with water in a rice cooker or pot. Cook until fluffy.
8. Check octopus tenderness by piercing with a fork. It should be very soft. If still tough, continue simmering.
9. Using a slotted spoon, remove octopus pieces from the braising liquid. Dice the octopus into small cubes.
10. Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve to remove solids. Return to wok and simmer to reduce by half.
11. Drizzle sesame oil into the reduced sauce and stir well.
12. Divide cooked jasmine rice into serving bowls. Top each bowl with diced octopus.
13. Pour the warm braising sauce over the octopus and rice until generously coated.
14. Garnish with sliced scallions and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Serve hot.

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