Korean Bajirak Miyeok Jjigae (Clam Seaweed Stew)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 34 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Bajirak miyeok jjigae is a Korean stew combining manila clams and soaked seaweed, layering shellfish umami with the mineral depth of sea vegetables.
Read more
Clams start in cold water with radish, which adds a cool sweetness to the broth that balances the clams' natural saltiness as the temperature climbs. Once the shells open, rice wine removes any briny off-notes, and the stew is seasoned with soup soy sauce and minced garlic. The seaweed, soaked and cut into bite-sized pieces, must enter the pot only in the last five minutes; longer cooking turns it tough and unpleasantly slippery. Diagonally sliced scallion added at the end releases a fresh aroma across the surface of the stew. The iodine-rich character of the seaweed and the briny depth of the clams belong to the same marine category yet occupy different flavor registers, producing a broth with compound depth. Any clams that remain closed after cooking must be removed to prevent grit from contaminating the finished stew.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Soak 300g of manila clams in salted water for at least 2 hours with a dark cover to purge grit, then scrub shells against each other and rinse thoroughly under running water.
- 2Prep
Squeeze water from 80g of soaked seaweed and cut into 3cm lengths, then slice 100g of radish into thin 2cm squares to ensure its sweet flavor infuses the broth effectively.
- 3Control
Combine 750ml of cold water and the sliced radish in a pot, then bring to a boil over high heat and simmer for 6 minutes until the radish releases its refreshing sweetness.
- 4Heat
Add clams and pour in 1 tablespoon of rice wine as the pot boils to eliminate fishy odors, cooking until shells open completely while discarding any clams that remain firmly closed.
- 5Control
Stir in seaweed, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon of soup soy sauce, then simmer for 4 minutes, ensuring seaweed cooks for no more than 5 minutes total to prevent toughness.
- 6Finish
Add diagonally sliced green onions and boil briefly to release their fresh aroma across the surface, then immediately turn off the heat to preserve the delicate texture of the seaweed and clams.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Oceanic umami flows from manila clams and seaweed in bajirak miyeok jjigae.
- Finish cue
- Add diagonally sliced green onions and boil briefly to release their fresh aroma across the surface, then immediately turn off the heat to preserve the delicate texture of the seaweed and clams.
- Avoid this
- Add seaweed later to avoid a tough texture.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
34min, 8 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 122 recipes
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