Jjajangmyeon is a very popular Korean black bean noodle dish. The main components are the chewy noodles, black bean sauce, and vegetables. This is surprisingly easy to make with a few key steps and ingredients. Perfect for your next weeknight meal with friends and family.
What is black bean paste?
This paste is actually called chungjang which is a Korean style black bean paste and as the name implies, it is made up of fermented soy beans. It is thick in texture and dark in color. I would highly recommend frying it in some oil to release some of the desired flavors that come from the paste. Here is the brand I use:
What noodles in jjajangmyeon?
This dish actually uses a very specific type of noodle called jjajang noodles. Some key characteristics are that they are incredibly springy and chewy which is perfect for mixing with a thick sauce. I get them in a large pack and I would recommend getting the fresh kind. Here is the brand that I use:
What vegetables are added?
I use cabbage, onions, and zucchini, however some other really popular options include potatoes and radish. I cut all the vegetables into 1 inch cubes so that they cook evenly and soften faster.
Type of meat to use in jjajangmyeon
The most common type of meat to use in Korean jjajangmyeon is sliced pork belly, but I have had versions that use ground pork as well. Since I used pork belly, I cut them into 1/2 inch slices and fried until golden brown.
Stock or water
When making the sauce for jjajangmyeon, you will need to add some sort of liquid to mix and dilute the black bean paste. Using a type of stock such as beef or chicken will add another layer of flavor to the sauce, but if you don’t have any, water will work just fine.
Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)
Ingredients
- 400 g fresh jjajang noodles
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ cup black bean paste
- 200 g sliced pork belly
- 1 small yellow onion
- ½ zucchini
- ⅓ cup cabbage
- 1 tbsp grated garlic
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 cup water or stock
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
Corn starch slurry
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp water
Garnish
- sliced cucumber
- pickled radish
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables by cutting them into 1 inch cubes and set aside for later.1 small yellow onion, ½ zucchini, ⅓ cup cabbage
- Cut pork belly into 1 inch strips as well.200 g sliced pork belly
- In a pan over med-high, add oil and fry the black bean paste for 3-5 minutes. Set aside for later and save some of the excess oil for the next step.3 tbsp vegetable oil, ¼ cup black bean paste
- Add 2 tbsp of the excess oil back into the pan to fry the pork belly.200 g sliced pork belly
- Once the pork belly starts to brown, add the chopped onions, zucchini, cabbage, grated ginger and garlic. Stir for 1 minute.1 small yellow onion, ½ zucchini, ⅓ cup cabbage, 1 tbsp grated garlic, 1 tbsp grated ginger
- Add our fried black bean paste and mix thoroughly with the vegetables. Stir to cook another 2-3 minutes.¼ cup black bean paste
- Add water or stock, bring it up to a simmer for 2 minutes.1 cup water or stock
- Mix water and corn starch together to create corn starch slurry and add that into the sauce to thicken.1 tbsp corn starch, 2 tbsp water
- Season with sugar and oyster sauce. If the sauce is too watery, add more corn starch.2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- Boil the noodles according to package instructions.400 g fresh jjajang noodles
- Layer the sauce on top of the noodles and garnish with cucumber and pickled radish.sliced cucumber, pickled radish
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Absolutely delicious 💜