Spicy Korean Soondae Bokkeum. Soondae is blood sausage. Many cuisines have their own version of a blood sausage. In Spain, its called Morcilla and the English have their Black Pudding. Korea's version is filled with Dangmyeon (Korean vermicelli noodles). Before the Korean war, it was filled with pork meat. After the war, food was scarce and the minced pork was replaced with chewy noodles. Soondae has since become an iconic street food in Korea - right alongside Tteokbokki and Eomuk 🍢
This recipe is straightforward - but there are a few cooking notes I would like to add. Also, don't forget to try the Soondae - by itself - after you pull them out in the water. That's the way its typically served in Korean Pojang Macha (Street Stalls). This spicy stir-fried version is only done by special carts in Seoul 🙂
Key cooking notes:
- Don't take the Soondae out of its plastic package. Boil it in the plastic package - this steams the sausage. If you boil it, the stuffing tends to pop out of the casing.
- Stir-fry the cabbage and carrots until they turn soft (~5 minutes). Then add the Soondae and the Spicy Marinade. If you add-in the Soondae too early, it will overcook.
- Before adding the spicy marinade, reduce the heat to a medium-low. That way, the spicy marinade doesn't burn in the frying pan.
If you actually make this dish at home, sure to tag us in a pic. I'm curious to see you reaction to Soondae!

Ingredients
Soondae Bokkeum
- 500 grams of Soondae
- 1 whole Onion
- ¼ head of Green Cabbage
- ½ a whole Carrot
- 5 Perilla Leaves (optional)
Spicy Gochujang Marinade
- 2 Tablespoons of Gochugaru
- 1 Tablespoon of Gochujang
- 2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
- ½ Tablespoon of Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Honey
- 1 Tablespoon of Maesil (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil
- 1 Tablespoon of Sesame Seeds
- Few Shakes of Black Pepper
Garnish (Optional)
- Few Shakes of Perilla Seeds Powder (optional)
Instructions
Prep Soondae
- Bring a pot of water up to boil. Don't take the Soondae out the plastic package. Add it directly into the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat. Give it another 5 minutes to simply sit in the water and steam.
- Carefully take the Soondae out of the package. Let it cool down. Then use a knife and cut into small bite-sized pieces. Sample one - it's ok to eat by itself and a dab of salt.
Prep Veggies & Make Sauce
- Julienne your onion and carrot into thin slices. Then roughly dice the piece of cabbage. Roll-up the perilla leaves, tear off its stems and julienne into thin pieces.
- Next, take out a mixing bowl and thoroughly mix: Gochugaru (2T), Gochujang (1T), Soy Sauce (2T), Sugar (½T), Honey (1T), Maesil (1T), Minced Garlic (1T), Sesame Oil (1T), Sesame Seeds (1T), Black Pepper (few shakes).
Make Soondae Bokkeum
- Place frying pan on a medium-high heat. Once its hot, place in some oil. Then add in the cabbage, onions, and carrots. Stir-fry until the cabbage and onions turn soft. It should take about 4-5 minutes.
- Once cabbage turns translucent and soft, add in the sundae. Then add in all of the spicy marinade sauce. And reduce your heat to a medium-low (!) Then stir-fry everything and get it nicely coated. After 1-2 minutes, turn off heat. Add on some of the sliced perilla leaves for color. You can also sprinkle-on some perilla seeds powder (if you have it). Give it one final stir and plate.
- Garnish with the rest of the sliced perilla leaves on top. Bon Appetit!
Jenny says
This is my go-to recipe for soondae! Thank you for the recipe!!
Magdalena Guilarte says
Spicy and delicious
Nicole S says
Loved this recipe!!!! Soooooo good!! Thank you!