Korean Jjamppong

Ingredients

• 2 stalks (each the length of your forearm)spring onion
• 1 wholeonion
• 1 piece (the length of your pinky)carrot
• 1 piece (the length of your pinky)courgette
• 1 small piece (similar in size to the julienned carrot and courgette)cabbage
• 1/2 teaspoongrated ginger
• 1 whole (optional, for garnish)chilli pepper
• 15–20clams (or mussels)
• 10–15prawns
• 1 wholesquid
• 150 gpork (any cut)
• 45–60 ml (3–4 tablespoons)cooking oil
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons)soy sauce
• 120 ml (1/2 cup)gochugaru
• enough to cover the ingredientswater
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons), plus more to tastesalt
• 10–13 shakesblack pepper
• 1 servingflour noodles

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare vegetables

   Slice the spring onions into thin circles. Julienne the onion, carrot, courgette and cabbage, grate the ginger, and, if using, thinly slice the chilli.

2. 2

   Purge shellfish

   Put the clams or mussels in a large bowl of cold water with a few shakes of salt. Cover with a plate and leave for 15–20 minutes.

3. 3

   Prepare seafood

   Peel, devein and wash the prawns. Clean the squid and cut it into bite-sized strips.

4. 4

   Slice the pork

   Cut the pork into small, bite-sized strips.

5. 5

   Fry aromatics

   Heat a large pot or wok over high heat and add 3–4 tablespoons of oil. When hot, add the spring onion and 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger; stir for 1 minute, or until the spring onion smells aromatic.

6. 6

   Cook pork

   Add the pork and stir-fry until most of the pink colour has disappeared.

7. 7

   Add squid

   Add the squid and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

8. 8

   Season vegetables

   Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, followed straight away by the onion, cabbage, carrot and courgette. Stir everything together for 1 minute.

9. 9

   Add chilli broth

   Add 1/2 cup of gochugaru and mix until the ingredients are coated. Immediately pour in enough water to cover them, so the chilli does not burn.

10. 10

    Simmer seafood

    When the pot comes to the boil, add the prawns and clams or mussels. Boil until the shellfish start to open, then add 2 tablespoons of salt. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed.

11. 11

    Season broth

    Add 10–12 shakes of black pepper to the broth.

12. 12

    Rinse noodles

    If using flour noodles, soak them briefly in cold water to remove the excess flour on their surface.

13. 13

    Boil noodles

    Briefly boil the noodles according to the packet instructions.

14. 14

    Serve in bowls

    Place the freshly cooked noodles in the centre of each bowl and ladle several scoops of jjamppong broth over them.

What is jjamppong?

Jjamppong is a Korean-Chinese noodle soup known for a spicy broth, seafood and vegetables. This home-cooked version also includes pork, with the ingredients quickly stir-fried before water is added.

Chilli warmth: Gochugaru colours and flavours the broth, while the seafood and pork give it a savoury base. Cooking the noodles separately makes it easier to serve them with the hot broth.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 480 calories, 27g protein, 34g carbs, 25g fat.

The pork and seafood contribute most of the protein, while the noodles and vegetables provide most of the carbohydrates. Cooking oil carries much of the fat, and the soy sauce and added salt make the broth a major source of sodium. To balance the bowl, serve it with extra vegetables and use only as much broth as you want.

Prepare the ingredients first

Even slices: Cut the vegetables into thin strips so they cook quickly and are easy to eat with noodles. Keep the spring onion in thin circles for the first step of the stir-fry.

Seafood: Clean the squid and prawns before cooking, and give the clams or mussels their 15–20-minute soak. The shellfish go into the pot later than the pork and squid.

Build flavour over high heat

Aromatics: Heat the pot well before adding the oil, spring onion and ginger. Stir for 1 minute, stopping when the spring onion smells fragrant.

Pork and squid: Cook the pork until most of its pinkness is gone, then stir in the squid for 30 seconds. The quick cooking keeps the squid from spending too long in the hot pot.

Handle the gochugaru carefully

Chilli: Stir the gochugaru through the vegetables until they are coated. Add the water immediately afterwards, as the method specifies, to prevent the chilli from burning.

Broth level: Pour in just enough water to cover the ingredients. The recipe does not give a fixed volume, so use the pot and the amount of vegetables and seafood as your guide.

Check the seafood and seasoning

Shellfish: Add the prawns and clams or mussels once the broth boils. The recipe uses the shellfish opening as its cue that the stew is ready for seasoning.

Salt: Add the stated 2 tablespoons, taste the broth and adjust if needed. Because that amount can taste quite salty, add it gradually if you prefer more control over the final seasoning.

Cook noodles separately

Rinse: If using flour noodles, soak them briefly in cold water first to remove loose flour from the surface.

Doneness: Follow the packet directions for boiling, then serve promptly. Put the noodles in the bowls first and ladle broth over them rather than cooking them in the stew.

What to serve alongside

For a simple meal, serve the bowls as they are, with the noodles, broth, pork, vegetables and seafood together. The optional sliced chilli can be used as a garnish for extra heat.

If you want something alongside, plain rice or a mild vegetable side can temper the spicy broth without competing with its seafood flavour.

Recipe notes & tips

• Cut the vegetables before heating the pot so they can go in as soon as the pork and squid are ready.
• Keep the pot over high heat for the initial stir-frying, as the method specifies.
• Add water straight after mixing in the gochugaru to keep it from burning.
• Taste the broth before adding any extra salt beyond the stated amount.
• Boil the noodles separately and serve them soon after cooking.
• Discard any clams or mussels that do not open during cooking.

Variations

• Use mussels: Swap them for the clams, as the recipe allows.
• Add chilli garnish: Thinly slice the optional chilli and scatter it over the bowls.
• Adjust the heat: Use less gochugaru for a milder broth.
• Change the pork cut: Choose any cut, then slice it into small strips as directed.
• Add more vegetables: Increase the sliced vegetables while keeping the same stir-frying method.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Burning the chilli: Add the water immediately after coating the ingredients with gochugaru.
• Skipping the shellfish soak: Leave clams or mussels in salted cold water for 15–20 minutes first.
• Crowding the cutting step: Slice everything before cooking so the quick stir-fry stages are not delayed.
• Overcooking the squid: Stir-fry it for 30 seconds before adding the vegetables.
• Cooking noodles in the broth: Boil them separately according to the packet instructions.
• Adding all the salt without tasting: Season with the stated amount, sample the broth and adjust only if needed.

How to store

Store leftover broth and seafood in a covered container in the fridge and use within 1–2 days. Keep noodles separate if possible, then reheat the broth until steaming hot and cook or reheat the noodles separately before serving.

Frequently asked questions