KOREAN SPICY MUSSEL STEW (HONGHAP JJIM)


Mussel stew is quite popular as a drinking side dish (with soju) in Korea. Mussels (Honghap, 홍합) are very cheap in Korea, you can get 1 kg of unshelled mussels for about 3000 won (US $3.20). Though, it took a fair bit of time to clean them for cooking. “Cheap to eat, but hard work.”

Anyhow, since it’s so cheap and best time to have, I decided to make some spicy mussel stew (Honghap Jjim, 홍합찜). Just you know, if you buy this dish at a restaurant, it will cost about 12,000 to 15,000 won. (US $12.65 – 15.80) So it is better to cook it yourself to save some penny. 😉

INGREDIENTS FOR 2 PEOPLE (YOU WILL NEED A POT AND A WOK)

(Preparation time – 1 hours 30 mins, Cooking time – about 5 minutes)

  • 500 g mussels
  • 1 green chili
  • 1 tsp garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
  • 1 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauc
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 5 cups water

PREPARATION

  1. Clean the mussels individually with a rough cloth or brush. Soak the mussels in cold water for about 1 hour. (Add some salt to encourage mussels to release out any dirt.)Drain the mussels in one hour.
  2. Pour the water into a pot and boil the mussels. When it boils, scoop out any white froth / debris that may float.
  3. Take out all the mussels and 1 cup of boiled water (broth) from the pot.

Note: You can discard the rest of the broth or re-use it for other cooking if you want.

HOW TO MAKE KOREAN SPICY MUSSEL STEW

1. Pre heat the wok for 10 seconds. Add some cooking oil and the garlic. Stir it quickly. Add the chili flakes and green chili. Stir it quickly. Add the gochujang, honey, and the soy sauce. Stir it quickly.

2. Add the broth (1 cup of mussel boiled water) and the mussel. Simmer it for 3 minutes.

3. Serve.

Warning: You may sneeze a lot, while you are cooking. I had this stew as a main dish for dinner. It was good. Soup (sauce) was quite spicy though, actual mussels weren’t too spicy. By the way, now I am starting to wonder, how would this dish work out with Soju? So if any of you are going to try this spicy mussel stew with Soju, please tell me. I am dying to know. 🙂
Also, here is a suggestion from me. Lots of people mentioned steamed egg as another side dish along with mussel stew, because it dilutes the spicy tastes. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KOREAN SOYBEAN PASTE SOUP (DOENJANG GUK)

Image
Learn how to make everyday Korean soup – Korean soybean paste soup! Today I’m sharing Korea’s most staple soup – Doenjang Guk (된장국, Korean soybean paste soup/ Korean miso soup). As I was growing up, I think I had various versions of Doenjang Guk at least a couple of times a week, if not every day! Yeah, it’s such a commonly consumed soup in every Korean household, so you’ve got to try this! DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOENJANG GUK (된장국) AND DOENJANG JJIGAE (된장찌개) I thought you might be wondering about the difference between Doenjang Guk and Doenjang Jjigae? Well, my simple answer is Doenjang Guk is Korean soybean paste soup and Doenjang Jjigae is Korean soybean paste stew. Guk (국) tends to have more water/stock/broth in comparison to the rest of the ingredients (vegetables and/or meat) than Jjigae (찌개). This implies, not always though, that Jjigae usually has a stronger taste (may be even slightly saltier or spicier) than Guk. Also Guk is typically served in an individual serving bowl but usual...
Read more

KOREAN SEAFOOD HOT POT (HAEMUL JEONGOL)

Image
Spicy Korean seafood hot pot! It’s loaded with prawns, mussels and vegetables. Delicious and very refreshing!  This spicy seafood hot pot (haemul jeongol, 해물전골) is something you might like on a cold night. The soup was so flavorful and moreish, you can not dislike it if you love Korean food! When I had the first spoonful of the soup it gave me a feeling as if I solved some kind of a mystery, though the hit of the korean chili flakes on your throat is something you need to watch out for. 😉 I cooked this stew on a portable burner, something I very much enjoy doing lately when I cook. I’m a firm believer in that food tastes best when it is kept hot during the meal! Enjoy the seafood hot pot! INGREDIENTS FOR KOREAN SEAFOOD HOT POT (SERVES 4) Main 380g prawns, cleaned 300g mussels, cleaned 4 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced 1/3 zucchini, thinly sliced 150g daikon radish, thinly sliced 60g crown daisy 100g soybean sprouts 5 cups water 30g kombu (dried kelp) 1 green chili, thinly sliced...
Read more

INSTANT KOREAN BULGOGI

Image
Instant Korean Bulgogi: Korean bulgogi made easy with pre-made Korean BBQ marinade There’s a suggestive guideline on the back of the bottle as to show how much marinade to use per weight of the beef. In the below recipe, I will show you how I normally cook Instant Korean Bulgogi! Enjoy! INGREDIENTS FOR 2 SERVINGS Main Marinating beef 330 g / 11.6 ounces beef sirloin, cut into bite size 1 onion, thinly sliced 1/4 carrot, thinly sliced 4 stalks of spring onion, thinly sliced (Optional) 1 pack of enoki mushrooms, stems removed Some cooking oil Marinade (mix these in a bowl – I always like to add some additional ingredients on top of instant marinade) 5 Tbsp instant beef marinade 1 Tbsp rice wine A few sprinkles of ground black pepper A few sprinkles of ginger powder HOW TO MAKE BULGOGI WITH PRE-MADE SAUCE Marinate the meat in marinade for 4 hrs in the fridge. (Overnight marination is even better) Heat up your wok / skillet on medium high heat and once heated add some cooking oil. Add the ...
Read more