Jjamppong
If you ever crave something spicy but refreshing, jjamppong or Korean spicy seafood noodle soup will cure that craving! It's actually incredibly easy to make at home and fairly customizable. But don't forget to pair it with it's a bowl of jajangmyeong (black bean noodles) or a side of tangsuyuk (Korean sweet and sour pork) to complete the meal.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 bundles Korean fresh noodle (for udon or jajangmyeon (about 7oz/200g per bundle))
- 8 ounces large shrimps (preferably head-on)
- 8 ounces mussels (or clams (little neck or manilla))
- 6 ounces squid tube (usually 1 tube)
- ½ large yellow onion (sliced)
- 1 medium carrot (cut into matchsticks)
- 3 stalks green onion (cut into 2 inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoons garlic (rough chop)
- 12 ounces napa cabbage (cut into ½ inch slices (about 5 to 6 leaves))
- 5 tablespoons gochugaru (coarse)
- 2 tablespoons gochugaru (fine ground) (or use more coarse ground gochugaru)
- 5 cups water
- 2 Korean instant soup stock tablets (crushed (optional))
- 2½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon msg
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil (for cooking)
Instructions
- 1
Clean and prepare the seafood:Shrimps - You can use already peeled and deveined shrimps, but unpeeld, head-on shrimps will give your soup much more flavor. If using head-on shrimps, devein them but keep the shells on. Give them a good rinse. If using already peeled and deveined shrimps, just rinse and drain them.Mussels - Rinse and scrub the outside of the shell if needed and remove the beard (the grassy, fuzzy piece sticking out).Clams - If using clams, rinse and scrub the clean if needed then soak them in a quart (about 1 liter) of water with 2 tbsp (30g) of kosher salt for about 1 hour. Rinse well before use.Squid - Rinse and cut the squid tube (the body) into rings. Alternatively, split the squid tube in half, lengthwise with a knife, and with the inside, soft part of the squid facing up, make shallow, diagonal cuts across the entire surface. then cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
- 2
Cook the noodles:Bring a pot of water to a boil as you prepare the seafood. Once the water is boiling, add the fresh noodles and give it a mix. Cook according to package instructions. When the noodles are done, strain out the noodles but keep the pot of hot water on the stove for warming up the noodles later. Rinse the noodles well with cold water and set aside.
- 3
Stir fry the aromatics and veggies:In a well seasoned wok or nonstick pot over medium high heat, add the oil and heat it up until it's just starting to smoke. Add the onion, carrot, green onion, and garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then add the napa cabbage and stir fry until mostly wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- 4
Make the soup:Once the cabbage has wilted, add both the coarse and fine ground gochugaru and stir fry for about 30 seconds or until they are evenly distributed. Make sure to stir constantly so that the peppers don't burn! Then add the water and season with the instant stock tablet, salt, and msg. Bring the soup to a boil.
- 5
Finish:When the soup comes to a boil, let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes to let the flavors marry. Then add all the seafood and bring it back to a boil. Stir the soup occasionally to make sure the seafood are all submerged and cooking evenly. Let the seafood cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until done. The mussels/clams should have all opened up and the shrimp should be bright orange and curled like tight "J". Remove the soup from the heat.
- 6
Assemble:Dip the noodles into the pot of hot water from earlier for a few seconds to warm up the noodles. Drain well then transfer the noodles into bowls. Top the noodles with the soup and seafood. Enjoy while it's hot!