The separation between good jjamppong and sodium

Koreans like jjamppong. However, jjamppong has a lot of calories and sodium hidden.
There is a saying that if you can't avoid it, enjoy it. Minimize calories and sodium by making good jjamppong.

1. Etymology of Jjamppong

It is a type of Korean-style Chinese food made by adding noodles to a spicy broth made by stir-frying vegetables, seafood, and meat. There are many theories about the etymology of the name, but first of all, there is a testimony that the word jjamppong has been used in Gunsan Chinese Restaurant since 1972-1974, so this theory seems to be the most likely direct origin. The 2018 Jeonju Broadcasting Station's "The Story of Chinese in a Bowl of Jjamppong" features Kunsan Yeonghwa-dong Chinese restaurant owner and former principal of Gunsan Chinese Elementary School, who interviewed that jjamppong was made by Gunsan Chinese. In order to catch the greasiness of the original menu, red jjamppong was added and tested on customers. At first, customers who were reluctant began to prefer the menu, and the next time they came, more and more people asked for the menu made of the past.

2. History of Jjamppong

In Korea, Chinese people from Shandong Province who lived in Incheon in the late 19th century changed their food, "Chaomamen," to suit the taste of Koreans. It is made by mixing vegetables and seafood that are commonly available around it, so the Japanese word "jjambbong" meaning "mixing different things."

3. Origin

1) The theory that Chinese in Gunsan City started it

There are several theories about the origin of the dish, and red pepper powder was added to Shandong-style Choma-myeon sold by Chinese restaurants in Gunsan City, which became today's jjamppong because it was popular among Gunsan citizens looking for refreshing hangover food. If so, there is room for it to be seen as a characteristic of mixed-race food that encompasses the three Northeast Asian countries.

2) The origin of Japanese overseas Chinese

There is a theory that jjamppong originated from Japanese overseas.

① Nagasaki Spicy Seafood Noodles

It can be seen that Tangyuk Sa-myeon is the origin of jjamppong today rather than Choma-myeon. This is because Tangyuk Ramen is a noodle dish in Fujian Province with stir-fried ingredients in pork bone soup similar to Choma Ramen, and Chun Ping-soon is Nagasaki Jjamppong that is made by transforming this Tangyuk Ramen by a Japanese overseas Chinese from Fujian Province. The original Nagasaki jjamppong, which was first made in 1899, was initially called "Shina (Chinese) Garakguksu" and "Juka (Chinese) Garakguksu." Since then, it has been renamed as Jampong, and the word Jampong somehow flowed into Korea and became Jjampong.

② Japanese Chinese from China

The birthplace of Choma-myeon was in southwestern China, and Chinese in the region rarely moved to the Korean Peninsula or Japan, and many Japanese Chinese came from Fujian Province in the southeast, but with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, they suddenly became hostile citizens. As a result, many Japanese Chinese who made a living in the trade industry between China and China became impossible to trade, and many Japanese Chinese foods came to the Korean Peninsula as an alternative, and among them, there was a predecessor of jjamppong. The Chinese restaurant's giving pickled radish as a side dish can also support this view.

3) Changes in the cooking of jjamppong according to the times

On the Korean Peninsula, jjamppong was a dish that began to appear in newspapers after the liberation of August 15, and until the 1960s, it was far from red jjamppong in the form of thin red pepper on food similar to Baekjamppong, and many people sold it under the name of Choma-myeon, not jjamppong. However, as spicy food became popular in the 1970s, some owners made and sold red jjamppong with red pepper powder and chili oil.  As it became popular, it became more and more nationalized in the 1980s and 1990s, and Korean-style jjamppong became popular.

4) When is this spicy jjamppong?

Nongshim Jjamppong Ramen, the original jjamppong ramen, was also released in 1982 as the spicy taste became popular. Later in July 1990, Lee Chang-hoon played the role of Dalryong, a bathhouse employee, in the youth section of KBS2 Humor No. 1, and when asked to eat jjajangmyeon, he said, "I don't like jajangmyeon, I'm jjamppong," which became a hit and helped the jjamppong trend at that time. As a result, Korean jjamppong became Koreanized and indigenous with red soup as a trademark, and it was differentiated from Chinese and Japanese jjamppong.
 

4. What is sodium?

1) The sodium content of jjamppong

In general, a single serving of jjamppong may contain about 1000-2000 mg of sodium. This is very high, accounting for a significant portion of the recommended daily sodium intake (Food and Drug Administration FDA standards: 2300 mg or less per day).

2) What is sodium?

Sodium is one of the essential minerals in our bodies, and it plays a number of important functions in our bodies. The main role is to maintain fluid balance and regulate nerve and muscle function. Sodium acts as an electrolyte in the body and plays an important role in transmitting electrical signals. However, excessive sodium intake can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. This is because sodium tends to maintain water in the body, which can cause blood pressure to rise due to the imbalance of body fluids when consumed excessively. So it's important to control sodium intake properly.

5. Making nice jjamppong that foreigners like

1) Selection of materials

Using fresh ingredients for jjamppong, which is completely free of sodium, and avoiding salt or high-salt sauce can significantly reduce the sodium content. The recipe for low-salt jjamppong is as follows.
① Noodles or ramen: 200g (make sure it's a brand without sodium added)
② Shrimp: 200 grams
③ Shells: 200 grams
④ Squid: 200g Vegetables (Bok choy, onion, carrot, mushroom): 400g
⑤ Red pepper powder: 1 tablespoon (no salt)
⑥ Garlic: 3 pieces
⑦ Ginger: Small pieces
⑧ Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
⑨ Water: 6 cups

2) Recipe

ⓛ Rinse all seafood in cold water and cut vegetables into appropriate sizes.
② Chop the garlic and slice the ginger.
③ Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
④ Add minced garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
⑤ Add red pepper powder and stir-fry for another minute.
⑥ Put the prepared seafood and vegetables in the pot and mix them well with the stir-fried ingredients.
⑦ Pour water into the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
⑧ In the meantime, cook the noodles separately according to the packaging instructions.
⑨ When the soup boils, put the soaked noodles in the pot and stir well.

3) Reference video

https://youtu.be/F0ykj9O8m6w (Use ingredients that are not used in the refrigerator)
https://youtu.be/GIE1LKFXK9U (Simple Hot Spicy Seafood Noodles)
https://youtu.be/GIE1LKFXK9U (Making jjamppong at home)
https://youtu.be/vJ-xLVBviDk (Never fails squid jjamppong)
https://youtu.be/DjIhnSQogNo (Making diet jjamppong)