A traditional Korean seafood soup recipe that will delight your winter evenings
You know jajangmyeon? Well, just like how we have either hot chocolate or coffee in the morning: in Korea, you’re either team Jajangmyeon or team Jjamppong.
Personally, I find that the two dishes are very different, but they’re both part of Korean cuisine with Chinese influence, just like tangsuyuk.
Like these two dishes, it’s delicious, flavorful, and very comforting.
What Is Jjamppong?
Jjamppong (or jjampong, 짬뽕) is one of the most popular dishes you can order in a Sino-Korean restaurant. It consists of fresh noodles, various vegetables, and different seafood, all served in a spicy red broth. Generally, the broth can be quite hot, so be careful!
In Korea, as mentioned before, there’s a rivalry between jjamppong and jajangmyeon (Korean noodles with black bean paste, 자장면).
If you can’t choose between the two, you can order what’s called jjamjjamyeon (짬짜면).
Jjamjjamyeon Combines These Two Types of Noodles in a Bowl Separated in the Middle
The Origins of Jjamppong
Although there are many theories about the origins of jjamppong, the most convincing one is that it was created in the 1940s by Chinese immigrants settled in Nagasaki, Japan.
Obviously, the current jjamppong has evolved a lot to suit Korean tastes. In particular, the addition of gochugaru and seafood was introduced in the 1960s in Korea.
Jjamppong, unlike other Korean dishes, is quite difficult to reproduce at home with pre-packaged products or instant noodles. To get that slightly burned flavor that characterizes it, you have to prepare it at home in a wok.
In the Recipe, We Further Accentuate This With Smoked Paprika
The Main Ingredients of Jjamppong
Noodles: Traditionally, Korean Kalguksus noodles are used, which you can find in specialty stores, but simple egg noodles work perfectly
Pork: Use any cut you want, ideally with a bit of fat though
Seafood: Here it’s freestyle, incorporate what you want
Shaoxing wine: Traditional cooking wine, can be replaced with sake or dry sherry
Light soy sauce: Salty sauce found in all stores
Oyster sauce: Sauce that doesn’t taste like oyster, available in vegetarian format if you’re allergic
Gochugaru: Typical Korean chili powder, moderately spicy
Chicken broth: Ideally homemade, or if you use store-bought broth, make sure it’s not salty
Jjamppong – Seafood Noodle Soup
Matériel
Ingredients
Proteins
- 150 g pork julienned
- 700 g of seafood fresh such as squid, shrimp, mussels, clams, crab, etc. At minimum: mussels/shrimp/squid rings
Vegetables
- 150 g of Chinese cabbage cut into pieces
- 200 g of onion sliced (1 medium-sized onion)
- 30 g carrot julienned
- 60 g of zucchini julienned
Aromatics
- 4 tablespoons of neutral cooking oil
- 7 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons of ginger chopped
- 6 green onions thinly sliced
Seasonings
- 4 tablespoons of gochugaru blend it to reduce it to a fine powder
- 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce
- 60 ml Shaoxing wine or water
- 1.5 L of chicken broth
- 0.25 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 red chili pepper optional
To serve
- 2 portions of egg noodles
- Finely chopped green onions for garnish
Procédé
- Add cooking oil, garlic, ginger, and green onions to a cold wok or large pot4 tablespoons of neutral cooking oil, 7 cloves garlic, 6 green onions, 2 teaspoons of ginger
- Turn the heat to medium and sauté until the aromas are released, about 2 to 3 minutes. Depending on the power of your stovetop. It may take triple the time, it should sizzle
- Increase the heat to high then add the pork, cabbage, onion, carrot, and zucchini150 g of Chinese cabbage, 200 g of onion, 30 g carrot, 60 g of zucchini, 150 g pork
- Sauté to combine all ingredients, about 45 seconds
- Add the gochugaru and smoked paprika1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, 4 tablespoons of gochugaru
- Sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then add the soy sauce and oyster sauce by pouring them along the (internal) walls of the wok. They will smoke for a few seconds and release aromas2 teaspoons of oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- Quickly stir all ingredients together and pour in the chicken stock and Shaoxing wine or water60 ml Shaoxing wine, 1.5 L of chicken broth
- Bring to a boil. Add the seafood and boil vigorously until all seafood is well cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes700 g of seafood
- Add the red chili if applicable1 red chili pepper
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions2 portions of egg noodles
- Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water to remove excess starch
- At the end, rinse them with the hottest water possible to reheat the noodles. Drain completely and place them in a serving bowl
- Pour a generous amount of seafood soup over the noodles and serve immediately. Garnish with green onions. Salt to tasteFinely chopped green onions, 0.25 teaspoon salt
Notes
Nutrition
Culinary sources
I’ve adapted this recipe from the blog of the talented Seonkyoung Longest
