Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Sauce Noodles)

About This Recipe

Jjajangmyeon (짜장면) is one of Korea's most culturally iconic comfort foods — thick, chewy wheat noodles covered in a deeply savory, almost black sauce made from chunjang (fermented black bean paste), diced pork belly, onions and zucchini. The dish was introduced to Korea by Chinese immigrants from Shandong province in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and quickly became a beloved Korean-Chinese (Jungwhasik) staple that diverged considerably from its Chinese ancestor (zhajiangmian). Korean chunjang is darker, slightly sweeter and more pungent than Chinese doubanjiang or tianmianjiang; it is always first stir-fried in oil to reduce its bitterness before being combined with caramelized pork fat and vegetables into a glossy, rich sauce. Jjajangmyeon is the quintessential Korean delivery food — ordered for moving day (nationwide, Koreans traditionally eat jjajangmyeon when moving into a new home), consumed on Black Day (April 14, when single Koreans eat black food alone) and delivered by Chinese-Korean restaurants to every corner of the country. The noodles are always served with a side of yellow pickled radish and raw onions to cut through the richness.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gfresh jjajangmyeon noodles(or thick udon noodles)
• 200 gpork belly(cut into 1cm cubes)
• 4 tbspchunjang (Korean black bean paste)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 largeonion(cut into 1cm cubes)
• 1 mediumzucchini(cut into 1cm cubes)
• ½ cuppotato(peeled and cubed, optional)
• 2 tbspoyster sauce
• 1 tbspsugar
• 2 tspdark soy sauce
• 2 cupswater or light pork stock
• 2 tbspcornstarch(dissolved in 3 tbsp water)
• 1 tspsesame oil
• 1 mediumcucumber(julienned, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Stir-fry chunjang

   Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add chunjang paste and stir-fry in the oil 2–3 minutes until the paste darkens and smells nutty, not raw. This step is essential to remove bitterness.

   Fry the chunjang separately from the meat — this is the key Korean-Chinese technique that most home recipes skip.

2. 2

   Cook the pork

   Push the paste to one side. Add pork belly cubes and cook until browned and fat begins to render, about 4 minutes. Combine with the paste and stir-fry together 1 minute.

3. 3

   Add vegetables

   Add onion, zucchini and potato (if using). Stir-fry 3 minutes until slightly softened and coated in the black paste.

4. 4

   Add liquid and simmer

   Add water or stock, oyster sauce, sugar and dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes until vegetables are cooked and sauce has reduced slightly.

5. 5

   Thicken the sauce

   Stir in cornstarch slurry and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add sesame oil and stir.

6. 6

   Cook noodles and serve

   Cook noodles per package directions, drain, and divide into bowls. Ladle the hot sauce over the noodles. Garnish with julienned cucumber.

Variations

• •

  Ganjjajang: the 'dry' version with reduced sauce, darker and more intense, served with the sauce barely coating the noodles.

• •

  Jjajangbap: same black bean sauce served over steamed white rice instead of noodles.

Storage

Store sauce separately from noodles, refrigerated up to 3 days. Reheat sauce gently with a splash of water. Cook fresh noodles when serving — refrigerated cooked noodles become hard and clump together.

Frequently Asked Questions