Spicy Korean Seafood Soup Noodles (Jjamppong)

Ingredients

• 6 Garlic cloves – finely minced
• 1.5 inch chunk Ginger – finely minced
• 1/4 Yellow Onion – thinly sliced
• 5 ounces / 142g Korean Green Cabbage (Napa Cabbage or Bok Choy will work great too)
• 3 Asian Brown Mushrooms (such as Shitake) – soaked for 10-15 minutes, stubs removed and discarded (or reserved to make vegetable broth another day), then thinly sliced
• 1 Spring Onion – cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 – 4 Red or Green chilies or, to taste (you can also use 1-2 Jalapeños instead)
• 3.5 ounces / 100g fatty pork (such as pork belly) – sliced into 1/4-inch wide pieces
• 6-8 Jumbo Black Tiger Prawns – rinsed thoroughly and pat-dried
• 3.5 ounces / 100g Squid – rinsed thoroughly and chopped into 1/2 inch wide rings/pieces
• 6-8 frozen or fresh Littleneck Clams – soaked and rinsed if using fresh
• 6-8 frozen or fresh Mussels – soaked and scrubbed thoroughly if using fresh
• 2 – 3 TBLS Gochugaru (Korean Chili Powder) – see notes*
• 2 – 3 TBLS Gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Paste)
• 2 TBLS Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
• 1 TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
• 1/2 TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
• 1000 ml / 1 Liter Pork Bone or Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 TBLS Sesame Oil
• 1 TBLS Chili Oil (optional)
• 300 g Korean Chopped Wheat Noodles (or any type of Asian noodles such as ramen, udon, or egg noodles)
• 1/2 cup Kimchi – chopped/cut

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Prep: ---

2. 2

   Prepare the aromatics & vegetables: Chop the garlic, ginger, onion, fresh chilies (or jalapeños) cabbage, mushrooms, spring onion, as indicated. Set everything aside until needed.

3. 3

   Prepare the meat & seafood: Slice the pork into ¼ inch wide strips. Rinse the jumbo prawns thoroughly and pat-dry with a paper towel. Rinse and chop the squid into 1/2 inch wide pieces, then rinse again and pat-dry. Soak and rinse the clams thoroughly if using fresh. Soak and scrub the mussels with a metal brush if using fresh to rid them of their grit. (Note: if your clams and mussels are frozen and the package they came in indicates that they are ready to cook, you can skip rinsing and scrubbing them.) Place the pork, squid, mussels, and clams in individual bowls and set aside.

4. 4

   Prepare the “Other” ingredients: Measure out the pork bone (or chicken) broth if needed. Cut the kimchi (I like to spoon the kimchi into a measuring cup and then cut it up with cooking scissors).

5. 5

   --- For the Spicy Korean Seafood Soup Noodles: ---

6. 6

   Cook the aromatics: Heat sesame oil and chili oil (if using) over medium-high heat in a large wok or stockpot. Once hot, add gochugaru, garlic, ginger, jalapeños (or chilies), spring onion, and pork. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and the pork is no longer pink.

7. 7

   Cook the veggies: Add the mushrooms, cabbage, kimchi, and gochujang and stir-fry until combined and the vegetables have slightly softened – about 2minutes.

8. 8

   Add the broth and seasonings: Stir in the pork bone broth and low sodium light soy sauce, and season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a rapid boil – it will take about 6-10 minutes before the soup starts boiling.

9. 9

   Cook the seafood: Lower the heat to medium, and add the mussels and clams, followed by the prawns and squid after 4 minutes. Simmer and cook for 4-6 more minutes (8-10 minutes total) or until the seafood has fully cooked through.

10. 10

    Boil the noodles: Meanwhile and on another burner, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the Korean wheat noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. (I like to run cold water over the noodles to prevent them from sticking and cooking further.)

11. 11

    To Serve: Divide the noodles into four bowls and ladle the Spicy Korean Seafood Soup in each bowl. Season with more freshly cracked black pepper if desired and serve immediately!