The Drama: A Superhero Behind the Wok
The kitchen is small. Fluorescent light buzzes overhead, catching the steam that rises from an industrial wok. A man in a grease-stained apron moves with quiet precision — chopping, tossing, stirring. He ladles out a bowl of crimson broth, thick with seafood and tangled noodles, and slides it across the counter to a waiting customer.
Nothing about this scene suggests anything extraordinary. But the man behind the wok is Kim Doo-sik, and his hands — the same ones that julienne onions and crack open mussels — once carried the weight of supernatural power.
In Disney+‘s Moving (무빙, 2023), one of the most critically acclaimed K-Dramas of recent years, the superhero doesn’t wear a cape. He runs a junghwayori-jip — a Korean-Chinese restaurant — in a quiet neighborhood, serving jjamppong to regulars who have no idea what he’s capable of. Based on Kang Full’s iconic webtoon, the drama spans decades, following three families whose parents harbor extraordinary abilities and devastating secrets.
Kim Doo-sik (played by Ryu Seung-ryong) can fly. He once soared through the skies as a black-ops agent. Now he stands behind a stove, and the fire he commands is the flame beneath a wok. His jjamppong isn’t just food — it’s the life he chose. Every bowl is an act of defiance against the violence of his past, a quiet declaration that this ordinary, beautiful, grease-splattered life is worth more than any mission.
When his son Bong-seok begins to discover his own abilities, the jjamppong becomes something else entirely: the taste of a father’s love, the flavor of a home that was built to protect.
The History of Jjamppong
What Is Jjamppong?
Jjamppong (짬뽕) is a Korean-Chinese spicy seafood noodle soup — a fiery, deeply savory bowl of hand-pulled wheat noodles swimming in a red chili broth loaded with squid, mussels, shrimp, pork, and vegetables. The name is believed to derive from the Chinese word chǎomǎmiàn (炒碼麵), meaning “stir-fried mixed noodles,” though its pronunciation evolved through Japanese chanpon before landing in Korea.
From Incheon Chinatown to Every Street Corner
Jjamppong’s Korean story begins in Incheon’s Chinatown, where Chinese immigrants adapted their regional noodle soups for Korean palates in the early 20th century. The dish underwent a radical transformation in the 1960s when Korean-Chinese cooks began adding gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) and chili oil to the broth — a move that would have been unthinkable in Chinese cooking but was irresistible to Korean taste buds.
By the 1970s, jjamppong had become one of the “Big Two” of Korean-Chinese delivery food, forever paired with jajangmyeon (black bean noodles). Walk into any Korean-Chinese restaurant today and the eternal debate begins: jjamppong or jajangmyeon? Families split down the middle. Couples negotiate. The compromise? Jjamjja-myeon — half and half.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Chinese immigrants in Incheon, Korea |
| Key transformation | Addition of gochugaru in the 1960s |
| Broth base | Seafood and pork, stir-fried with chili oil |
| Noodle type | Fresh wheat noodles (same as jajangmyeon) |
| Signature flavor | Smoky bulmak (fire-flavor) from high-heat wok cooking |
| Eternal rival | Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) |
The Art of Bulmak (Fire-Flavor)
What separates restaurant jjamppong from the home version is bulmak — the elusive fire-flavor created when ingredients hit a screaming-hot wok. The seafood sears, the vegetables char at the edges, and the broth caramelizes against the metal before being deglazed with stock. That smoky, slightly bitter complexity is what makes you close your eyes after the first sip and say, “This is it.”
It’s also what makes Kim Doo-sik’s jjamppong in Moving so symbolically perfect. The man who once wielded fire now channels it through a wok, turning destruction into nourishment.
The Recipe: Kim Doo-sik’s Jjamppong
This recipe captures the bold, restaurant-style jjamppong — a spicy, seafood-rich broth with that essential touch of wok-fire flavor.
Ingredients
- Korean-Chinese fresh noodles (jajangmyeon noodles, 200g per serving) Amazon →
- 100g squid, cleaned and scored
- 100g mussels, scrubbed
- 100g shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 80g pork belly or shoulder, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) Amazon →
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1/2 zucchini, sliced
- 1/4 cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 green onions, cut into 5cm pieces
- 1 fresh red chili, sliced
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 700ml anchovy-kelp stock or water
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (finishing) Amazon →
Equipment
- Large wok or deep skillet (carbon steel preferred) Amazon →
- Large pot for boiling noodles
Video Tutorial
Video by 백종원의 요리비책 Paik’s Cuisine
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Stock If using anchovy-kelp stock, simmer 6-7 large dried anchovies (heads and guts removed) and a palm-sized piece of dried kelp in 800ml water for 15 minutes. Strain and set aside. If short on time, water works too — the seafood will provide plenty of flavor.
Step 2: Cook the Noodles Boil the fresh noodles in a large pot of water for 2-3 minutes until just cooked but still chewy. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop cooking, and set aside.
Step 3: Build the Fire-Flavor Heat the wok over the highest flame possible until it begins to smoke. Add vegetable oil and immediately add pork. Stir-fry for 1 minute until the edges begin to brown. Add garlic and ginger, tossing for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 4: Add Seafood and Vegetables Add squid, shrimp, and mussels to the wok. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Push the protein to the sides and add gochugaru directly to the oil in the center of the wok. Let it sizzle for 15-20 seconds — this blooms the chili and creates that signature red chili oil.
Step 5: Add Vegetables Toss in onion, cabbage, carrot, and zucchini. Stir-fry on high heat for 2 minutes. The vegetables should be slightly charred at the edges — that’s the bulmak.
Step 6: Build the Broth Pour in the stock (or water), soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 7: Assemble and Serve Place the cooked noodles in a large bowl. Ladle the broth, seafood, and vegetables over the noodles. Add sliced green onions and red chili on top. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil. Serve immediately — jjamppong waits for no one.
FAQ
Is jjamppong the same as Japanese champon?
They share a common ancestor but have diverged significantly. Japanese champon (from Nagasaki) uses a milky pork bone broth and is not spicy. Korean jjamppong is defined by its fiery red chili broth — a distinctly Korean adaptation that emerged in the 1960s.
Can I make jjamppong less spicy?
Yes. Reduce the gochugaru to 1 tablespoon and skip the fresh chili. You can also look for baek-jjamppong (white jjamppong), a non-spicy version that uses a clear seafood broth — also popular in Korean-Chinese restaurants.
What noodles should I use?
Fresh jajangmyeon noodles (also labeled as Chinese-style wheat noodles at Korean grocery stores) are the traditional choice. They’re thick, chewy, and hold up well in the broth. In a pinch, fresh udon noodles work as a substitute.
What seafood can I substitute?
Jjamppong is very flexible. Clams, oysters, crab, or even fish cake can replace or supplement the squid, mussels, and shrimp. The key is variety — the more types of seafood, the deeper the broth.
Why does restaurant jjamppong taste better than homemade?
One word: bulmak (fire-flavor). Restaurant woks operate at temperatures home stoves can’t reach. To compensate, use the highest heat your stove allows, don’t overcrowd the wok, and let the ingredients sear before stirring. A carbon steel wok preheated until smoking is your best friend.
How is jjamppong related to Moving?
In Moving, Kim Doo-sik — a retired superhero with the power of flight — runs a Korean-Chinese restaurant. His jjamppong represents his choice to live an ordinary life, channeling his extraordinary abilities into the simple act of feeding people. The wok’s fire becomes a metaphor for the power he’s chosen to contain.
Can I make the broth ahead of time?
Absolutely. The broth (without noodles) can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. The flavor actually deepens overnight. Reheat, cook fresh noodles, and assemble when ready to serve.
Make It Tonight
There’s something deeply moving about a man who could fly choosing to stand in a kitchen instead. Kim Doo-sik’s jjamppong isn’t about spectacle — it’s about presence. Every bowl he serves is a promise: I’m here. I’m staying. This is the life I chose for us.
Tonight, stand at your stove. Let the wok get screaming hot. Watch the gochugaru bloom into red oil, smell the garlic hitting the heat, hear the broth singing as it comes together. You don’t need superpowers to make something extraordinary. You just need a wok, good seafood, and someone worth cooking for.
오늘 밤, 무빙 정주행하면서 직접 끓인 짬뽕 한 그릇과 함께하는 건 어떨까요?
Hero image: “Jjamppong” by Scudsvlad, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Part of our K-Drama Kitchen series — cooking the dishes that made us hungry while watching.
