Jjamppong – Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup
“Korean spicy seafood noodle soup loaded with various seafoods, vegetables and egg noodles, it tastes very invigorating and comforting.”
The love for Korean food is really on the rise. I myself am a fan because their dishes are really tasty and healthy. I already made a Bibimbap recipe previously posted in this blog which I truly love. JJamppong or Korean spicy seafood noodle soup, is another popular dish you can order from a Korean-Chinese restaurant.
This spicy seafood noodle soup is full of flavor coming from the variety of seafood used as well as the vegetables that comes along with it. The soup can be quite spicy but you can always adjust the spiciness according to your spice tolerance if you’re cooking it at home. Aside from that, you can easily prepare it at home and you will have the liberty to change some ingredients to suit your taste.
What is jjamppong?
Jjamppong derived its name from chanpon, a Japanese Chinese dish. It was said that during the Japanese occupation in Korea, the Japanese saw Chao Ma Mian in Chinese restaurants in Korea, the Japanese started to call those noodle soup dish Chanpon. The Japanese word then sounded Jjamppong to the Koreans hence they started calling it like such.
JJamppong or haemul jjamppong is made of noodles, various vegetables, meat and variety of seafoods and it is served in a red hot soup base. It is also possible to serve the soup without the noodles. Just serve it with some steamed rice which is called Jjamppong Bap.
This spicy seafood noodle soup is very good during chilly weather as it brings warmth to the body and very comforting.
Ingredients in making jjamppong
There are many choices for vegetables. This recipe uses some basic vegetables that might already be available at your pantry. I used garlic, ginger, green onions, onion, cabbage, carrots, leek, zucchini, bok choy (pak choi or pok choi). You’ll only need a little bit of each vegetable for this recipe.
Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) is what brings about the spicy flavor and red color to the soup. As always, the level of spiciness can be adjusted to your taste. You can increase or decrease the amount of gochugaru, or even add red chili peppers to increase the heat level.
For the meat, pork is classic, but you can use beef or chicken if you prefer. Of course, you can omit the meat if you want.
Various types of seafood used in this recipe are fresh squid, clams, mussels, shrimps/prawns and frozen octopus. You can also use frozen mixed seafood for convenience. Use what you like or have.
This recipe uses dried egg noodles or you can simply use spaghetti or linguine noodles if you prefer.
Tips in cooking jjamppong
For a lighter soup base, use anchovy broth by following the steps in the recipe below. You can also use chicken broth or simply water, and it still tastes delicious.
You can add more seafood as you like and this will bring out more refreshing taste.
Make sure that you don’t overcook your seafood as it will become chewy. Just let it cook for around 2-3 minutes then turn off the heat. The remaining heat will cook them.
Manage your heat when stir frying especially when the chili flakes are added. The oil is very easy to burn and it can burn and darken the color of the chili flakes. When this happens, your soup will be a bit bitter and gives a dark color soup.
When serving, allow the soup to soak in the noodles for around 3-5 minutes. This will make the flavors seep into the noodles.
You can store your left-over soup (without the noodles) in the fridge for 2-3 days. It can be reheated over the stove, though the seafood might be slightly overcooked.
Make this hearty bowl of soup at home that is packed with robust flavors and with spiciness that will surely clear your sinuses! Happy tummy!
Other Korean recipes you might like:
Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread
Kimchi Pancakes (Kimchijeon) with Dipping Sauce
Watch on YouTube: Jjamppong – Korean Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup
Jjamppong – Korean Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Chopping board and knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cooking pot/ wok and stirring spoon
- Serving bowls
Ingredients
- 7 cups water — to make broth — you can use 6 cups chicken/beef broth
- 24 pieces dried anchovies
- 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 stalks green onions, chopped
- 100 grams beef, cut into thin strips
- 4 tablespoons Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) — more or less according to spice tolerance
- 1 large carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1 large zucchini, cut into matchsticks
- 1 small stalk leek, cut into matchsticks
- ¼ head cabbage, sliced
- 6 heads bok choy
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ kilo clams
- 8-10 pieces mussels
- 1 large squid, cleaned and cut
- 50 grams octopus
- 100 grams shrimps/ prawns
- 250 grams egg noodles
Instructions
- In a medium cooking pan, boil water and add the anchovies. Boil in high heat for 10 minutes and boil for another 10 minutes in low heat. Set aside and drain before adding to the soup.
- In a wok, saute ginger and garlic and once aromatic, add the green onions.
- Add beef strips and stir-fry until almost cooked, around 2 minutes. Add red chili flakes and stir until well incorporated.
- Toss in all vegetables except bok choy. Stir-fry on high heat until vegetables are slightly cooked, around 2-3 minutes.
- Pour 6 cups anchovy broth and then add fish sauce. Stir and simmer.
- When the soup is slightly boiling, add the seafoods (clams, mussels, shrimps, octopus and squids) and cover. Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add bok choy and simmer for another mibute. Add the chopped fresh red chili and turn off the heat.
- Cook noodles according to package instructions and drain. Run in a cold water after draining.
- Place a serving of the noodles in a large soup bowl and pour generous amount of spicy seafood soup on top. Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately with kimchi (optional) while piping hot.
- Share and enjoy!
