The Drama: Gongjin’s Ocean Bounty
The sea breeze carries the scent of salt and grilled fish. Seagulls circle overhead. And somewhere in the small coastal village of Gongjin, a mismatched pair—a perfectionist city dentist and a mysterious jack-of-all-trades handyman—are falling in love over meals that taste like the ocean itself.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (갯마을 차차차) premiered on tvN in August 2021 and quickly became one of the year’s most beloved romantic comedies. The drama follows Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a), a Seoul dentist who impulsively opens a clinic in the sleepy seaside village of Gongjin, and Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho), the village’s beloved “Chief Hong”—a man who seems to have mastered every skill imaginable.
What makes this drama special isn’t just the romance. It’s the community. The quirky villagers. The grandmother who runs the local restaurant. The fishermen bringing in their daily catch. And the food—oh, the food. In a village surrounded by ocean, seafood isn’t just cuisine. It’s life itself.
When the village gathers around bubbling pots of haemul jeongol (seafood hot pot), sharing stories and laughter, you understand what the drama is really about: the warmth of belonging somewhere.
The History of Haemul Jeongol
What Is Haemul Jeongol?
Haemul Jeongol (해물전골) translates literally as:
- Haemul (해물) = Seafood
- Jeongol (전골) = Hot pot/stew
Unlike quick soups (guk) or everyday stews (jjigae), jeongol is a special-occasion dish. It’s elaborate, abundant, and meant to be shared. The dish features a spectacular array of fresh seafood swimming in a rich, spicy broth—served bubbling at the table in a wide, shallow pot.
Origins: Royal Banquets to Coastal Villages
Jeongol has aristocratic origins, dating back to Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). Originally, it was a dish served at royal banquets and noble houses, featuring expensive ingredients arranged beautifully in brass pots.
| Era | Development |
|---|---|
| Joseon Dynasty | Jeongol served at royal and noble banquets |
| Late 19th Century | Becomes popular in Seoul restaurants |
| 20th Century | Regional variations emerge across Korea |
| Present Day | Coastal villages known for fresh seafood jeongol |
| 2021 | Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha showcases seaside food culture |
What makes haemul jeongol special is the quality of seafood. In coastal villages like the fictional Gongjin—inspired by the real village of Cheongha-myeon in Pohang—fishermen bring in catches that are cooked within hours of leaving the water.
The Jeongol Experience
Jeongol isn’t just a dish—it’s a dining ritual:
1. The Presentation Ingredients are arranged beautifully in the pot before cooking. Seafood, vegetables, and noodles are placed in sections, creating a visual feast before the first bite.
2. The Cooking The pot is brought to the table raw and heated over a portable burner. Diners watch as the broth begins to bubble and the seafood turns from translucent to opaque.
3. The Sharing Everyone eats from the same pot, picking out their favorite pieces with chopsticks. The communal nature of jeongol is central to its appeal.
4. The Finale After the seafood is finished, noodles or rice are often added to the remaining broth, creating a final course that captures all the concentrated flavors.
Why Seafood from the East Sea?
The Korean East Sea (also called the Sea of Japan) is famous for its cold, clear waters that produce exceptionally flavorful seafood. Villages along the east coast—like the real Pohang area where Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was filmed—are renowned for:
- Blue crabs (kkotge)
- Squid (ojingeo)
- Clams (jogae)
- Shrimp (saeu)
- Mussels (honghap)
- Octopus (nakji and muneo)
The Recipe: Haemul Jeongol (Korean Seafood Hot Pot)
Ingredients
Seafood (Choose 4-5 varieties)
- 2 blue crabs, cleaned and halved
- 200g squid, cleaned and scored
- 200g large shrimp, deveined
- 300g clams, scrubbed
- 200g mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 100g small octopus (낙지, cleaned)
Vegetables
- 1/2 Napa cabbage, cut into chunks
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 200g Korean radish (무, thinly sliced)
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 green onions, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 bunch chrysanthemum greens (쑥갓, optional)
- 200g enoki mushrooms
- 4-5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Broth
- 6 cups water or anchovy-kelp stock
- Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons) Amazon →
- Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste, 2 tablespoons) Amazon →
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Salt to taste
Finishing
- Korean glass noodles (당면, 200g) Amazon →
- 2 eggs (optional, for finishing)
Equipment
- Korean hot pot (전골냄비, wide shallow pot) Amazon →
- Portable burner for table cooking
- Ladle and long chopsticks
Video Tutorial
Video by EBSCulture - Korea’s educational broadcasting channel
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Seafood Clean all seafood thoroughly. Cut crabs in half. Score squid in a crosshatch pattern for even cooking. Devein shrimp. Scrub clams and mussels, discarding any that don’t close when tapped.
Step 2: Make the Broth Base In a bowl, combine gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, garlic, fish sauce, and sugar. Mix into a paste. This is your seasoning base.
Step 3: Prepare the Stock If using anchovy-kelp stock, simmer 8 dried anchovies and a 6-inch piece of dried kelp in water for 15 minutes, then strain. Otherwise, use water. Stir in the seasoning paste until dissolved.
Step 4: Arrange the Pot In your jeongol pot, arrange ingredients in sections: place radish and cabbage on the bottom (they take longest to cook), then arrange seafood and other vegetables in separate sections on top. This creates the classic jeongol presentation.
Step 5: Table Cooking Pour the seasoned broth over the arranged ingredients. Place the pot on a portable burner at the table. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 6: Cook and Eat Once boiling, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until all seafood is done (clams and mussels will open, shrimp will turn pink, about 10-15 minutes). Eat directly from the pot while it continues to simmer.
Step 7: Finish with Noodles After most of the seafood is eaten, add soaked glass noodles to the remaining broth. Cook until tender. For extra richness, crack eggs into the pot and let them poach.
FAQ
What’s the difference between jeongol and jjigae?
Jjigae is an everyday stew, typically cooked in the kitchen and served in a small pot. Jeongol is a grander affair—cooked at the table in a wide, shallow pot with elaborately arranged ingredients. Jeongol is meant for special occasions and group dining, while jjigae is everyday comfort food.
Can I make this without a portable burner?
Yes, but you’ll lose some of the experience. Cook the jeongol on the stove and bring it to the table in the pot. The advantage of table cooking is that the dish stays hot and continues to develop flavor as you eat.
What seafood is essential?
No single ingredient is mandatory—use what’s freshest. However, a good haemul jeongol typically includes at least one variety of shellfish (clams or mussels), one cephalopod (squid or octopus), and one crustacean (shrimp or crab).
Why do some clams not open?
Clams or mussels that don’t open during cooking should be discarded—they were likely dead before cooking and may not be safe to eat. This is why it’s important to buy fresh shellfish and check them before cooking.
Is this dish very spicy?
Haemul jeongol has a moderate spice level from the gochugaru and gochujang. You can adjust the spiciness by reducing the red pepper amounts. The broth is meant to be eolkeun-han (얼큰한)—a Korean concept meaning “pleasantly hot and slightly numbing.”
What should I do with the leftover broth?
The broth is the best part! After finishing the seafood, add noodles or rice. Many Koreans consider this bokkeumbap (fried rice) or noodle finish to be the highlight of the meal.
Can I prepare this in advance?
You can prep all ingredients in advance and arrange them in the pot. Refrigerate the assembled pot and broth separately. When ready to serve, pour the broth over and cook at the table.
Make It Tonight
There’s a reason Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha became a comfort drama for millions. It’s not the dramatic plot twists or the love triangles—it’s the warmth. The feeling of community. The sense that somewhere, there’s a village where everyone knows your name and your favorite dish.
Haemul jeongol captures that warmth in a bubbling pot. When you gather around the table, watching the seafood cook, sharing pieces with the people you love, you’re creating your own Gongjin moment.
You don’t need to live by the sea. You just need good ingredients, a wide pot, and people worth sharing it with.
오늘 밤, 갯마을 차차차 정주행하면서 직접 만든 해물전골과 함께하는 건 어떨까요?
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Hero image: “Haemul jeongol, Korean seafood stew” by Kai Hendry, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of our K-Drama Kitchen series—cooking the dishes that made us hungry while watching.
