Beondegi-tang: A Quick Pot from a Can of Silkworm Pupae
Keep the order the author wrote: pupae and water first, then sliced garlic, then just 2 tablespoons of the reserved can liquid, then chili powder, and finally scallion, cooking wine, Cheongyang chili and a shake of pepper.
Beondegi (번데기) is silkworm pupae. Korea's official government portal, Korea.net, describes beondegi, which it glosses as steamed pupae, as a traditional snack in Korea, and notes that Koreans have eaten pupae and grasshoppers as food.
This article is about a different form of the same ingredient: beondegi-tang (번데기탕), a soup with broth, made from a can. The recipe comes from a home cook who posts on the Korean recipe site 10000recipe under the name 고흐의연인. The author's title calls it a kalkalhan (sharply spicy) beondegi-tang, a "super-speedy" drinking snack for a rainy day. The recipe page lists it as 2 servings and 15 minutes.
It is one person's household version, not an official or standard Korean formula, and this article presents it as the author wrote it. The recipe has not been kitchen-tested for this article. For more dishes from the country, see our South Korea page.
번데기 is romanized as beondegi; 번데기탕 is beondegi-tang, where tang marks a soup. Searching with the Korean spelling helps when you are looking for canned pupae at a Korean grocer.
What Beondegi Is, and Where This Soup Fits
Korea.net presents beondegi as steamed pupae eaten as a traditional snack. The recipe here takes the canned product and simmers it in a small amount of water with garlic, chili and scallion, so it is a soup-style preparation rather than the plain steamed snack. We do not treat it as the Korean beondegi-tang; it is a single cook's written version that is easy to follow at home.
Ingredients (Serves 2, as Listed by the Author)
These are the author's amounts and units. On the recipe page's measurement guide, 1T (one tablespoon) is 15ml.
The recipe contains no onion, no soy sauce and no cooking oil, and it does not call for extra salt.
Equipment
- Sieve or strainer
- Small dish or bowl for the reserved can liquid
- Medium pan
- Measuring spoons
- A cup for the water
Choosing and Substituting: The Can, the Cup and the Korean Seasonings
Canned silkworm pupae. Look for 번데기 통조림 (canned beondegi) at Korean or import grocers. The author does not name a brand or give a drained weight, so contents, net weight and ingredients vary by product. Read each can's own ingredient and allergen labeling before you buy.
The cup of water. The recipe simply says 1 cup. The site's measurement guide lists a standard cup as 200ml and a paper cup as 180ml, but the recipe does not say which one the author meant. We keep it as "1 cup" rather than converting it.
Gochugaru. The recipe specifies Korean chili powder. It does not offer another chili powder or gochujang as a replacement, so we don't suggest one.
Cheongyang chili. This is a specific Korean green chili. The sources don't establish how other chilies compare in heat, so we can't promise that a different green chili at the same amount will give the same result.
Matsul. 맛술 is Korean cooking wine. We list it by its Korean name rather than calling it the same thing as Japanese mirin.
Scallion and chili. The author adds both from frozen. No cutting width is given.
Method: Four Stages, in the Author's Order
The author's recipe has eight short steps. They are grouped here into four stages without changing the order of anything that goes into the pot. The recipe gives no heat levels or per-step times, so watch for the boil rather than a clock.
Serving
The author's title frames this as a drinking snack (술안주, sul-anju) for a rainy day. Ladle the pupae and their red broth into small bowls. The recipe adds no garnish or side dishes, so none are listed here.
Easy Mix-Ups and How to Avoid Them
Most of the ways this short recipe can drift come from changing a quantity or ingredient, not from technique.
| Mix-up | What the recipe actually says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pouring in all the can liquid | Only 2 tbsp of the reserved liquid goes back in | Measure 2 tbsp. The recipe gives no instruction for the rest of the liquid |
| Reading 150g as the drained weight | 150g is the can amount shown in the recipe | Use one can. Don't weigh out 150g of drained pupae instead |
| Converting the water | The recipe says 1 cup without specifying the cup | Keep it as 1 cup |
| Using minced garlic | The recipe uses sliced garlic (편마늘) | Slice it |
| Adding onion, soy sauce or oil | None of these is in this recipe | Leave them out |
| Adding everything at once | Garlic, can liquid, chili powder, scallion, wine with chili, then pepper | Add them in that order |
| Adding salt | The recipe doesn't call for salt | Leave it out |
Variations and Where This Recipe Stops
This recipe offers no optional add-ins, salt adjustments or alternative versions, so we don't invent any. If you want a different preparation of beondegi, the form Korea.net describes, steamed pupae as a snack, is separate from this soup.
A peer-reviewed review in Food Science & Nutrition reports that silkworm pupae contain potential allergens and that food-allergy reactions to them need attention. The review also notes that allergy evaluation is limited, based largely on case reports, without consistent standardized testing. Possible cross-reactivity is still being studied; it is not a prediction that any particular person will react. If you have a history of allergy to silkworm pupae or related food allergies, don't try this on your own judgment. Always check the ingredient and allergen labeling on the can you buy. This note is not medical advice and does not guarantee that any product is safe for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is beondegi?
Silkworm pupae. Korea.net describes beondegi as steamed pupae and presents it as a traditional Korean snack. This article uses canned silkworm pupae in a soup-style recipe.
Do I add all the can liquid?
No. Strain it off at the start, then add only 2 tbsp in step 3. The recipe doesn't say what to do with the remainder.
Is the 150g the drained weight?
No. 150g is the can amount the recipe lists. The author doesn't give a drained weight or brand, so use one can.
Can I use minced garlic?
The recipe uses 3 tbsp of sliced garlic (편마늘). We keep it sliced to stay with the author's version.
How much black pepper?
The author writes 톡톡, a light shake, without a measured amount. Sprinkle it on at the end.
I'm worried about allergies. What should I know?
Silkworm pupae contain potential allergens, and research on reactions, including possible cross-reactivity, is still limited. Read the can's labeling, and if you have a related allergy history, don't try it on your own judgment.
Sources
- 고흐의연인, "캔 요리) 칼칼한 번데기 탕 만드는 법/비 오는 날 먹는 술안주♥초스피드 번데기 탕 만드는 법," 10000recipe, published 2022-07-21, updated 2022-07-22. The recipe followed in this article: ingredients and amounts, the 2-servings and 15-minute listing, the eight-step written order, returning 2 tbsp of can liquid, and the site's measurement guide. https://www.10000recipe.com/recipe/6984016
- Lee Jihae, "Edible insect sector to promote public health, boost economic growth," Korea.net (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of Korea), 2019-08-23. Cultural context: beondegi (steamed pupae) as a traditional snack in Korea, and the eating of pupae and grasshoppers. https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=174522&pageIndex=1
- Xuli Wu, Kan He, Tanja Cirkovic Velickovic and Zhigang Liu, "Nutritional, functional, and allergenic properties of silkworm pupae," Food Science & Nutrition, 2021. Potential silkworm-pupae allergens, the limited and largely case-report-based allergy research, and open questions about cross-reactivity. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8358373/
