Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

The most popular take-out dish in Korea that everyone loves – Jajangmyeon (짜장면). It is a comforting noodle dish where thick wheat noodles are topped with savory black sauce made of chunjang (춘장), pork belly, and some vegetables. You need to mix the noodles and the sauce well before devouring it. Jajangmyeon, or Korean black bean noodles, are full of flavors – it is savory, slightly sweet, and slightly bitter at the same time. All the flavors balance one another perfectly and that’s what make Jajangmyeon a unique dish.

Jajangmyeon is a Korean Chinese fusion food as it’s created by Chinese immigrant in Korea. So, there are many variations of this noodle dish. The Chinese version of jajangmyeon (zhájiàng miàn 炸醬麵) tastes quite different than Korean Jajangmyeon. Korean version has thicker sauce, has a hint of sweetness in flavor, and use thicker noodles. On the other hand, the Chinese version is savory and use thinner noodles. If you get to try both versions, please let me know which version you prefer. Well, let’s get cooking, shall we?

Tool I used:

• Nonstick wok – Easy to clean, heat-up evenly, and, the best part, it is non-stick. Great tool to have for stir-frying, making omelet, and much more.

Tip: If you are using pork belly, you do not need to use any oil. You can use the oil from stir-frying the pork belly. Also, you can always add different types of protein in the Korean black bean noodles – the common ones are seafood, ground pork or ground beef.   

Ingredient:

• 1 pack fresh noodles (or substitute with udon)
• 2 lbs. pork belly – cut into matchstick-shaped
• 2 tablespoons chunjang (춘장 black bean sauce)
• ½ medium-sized carrots – cut into small cubes
• 1 zucchini – cut into small cubes
• 2 potatoes – cut into small cubes
• 1 stalk green onion – thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• ½ inch ginger – minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• Cucumber – thinly sliced into matchsticks (to garnish)
• Sunny-side eggs (to garnish)

Direction:

• Pre-heat the nonstick wok under low-medium heat. Add pork belly and stir fry until it is a bit brownish or about 3-5 minutes. If you like the pork belly to be on the crispier side, cook a bit longer.
• Drain the pork belly and set aside.
• Using a spoon or a ladle, scoop up the excess oil and leave about 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok.
• Add the black bean sauce into the wok under low-medium heat. Give it a stir to “fluff up” the sauce. Stir for about a minute or so.
• Then, add garlic, ginger and sliced green onion. Stir until they are fragrant.
• Add carrot, zucchini, potato, cooked pork belly, chicken broth, sugar, salt, and white pepper. Adjust seasoning if needed. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer and cook until all the vegetables are soft – about 15-20 minutes.
• While the sauce is cooking, let’s prepare the corn starch mixture. In a small bowl, add the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of room temperature water. Give it a mix.
• Once the veggies are soft and the taste is already adjusted to your liking, then pour the corn starch mixture into the wok and cook until the sauce gets thicker. Turn off the heat.
• Let’s prepare the noodles according to the package instruction. For most fresh noodles, usually you need to first boil some water in a pot. Once the water is boiled, put the fresh noodle into the pot. Cook accordingly – based on the instructed time on the packaging. Once the time is up, drain the water and wash the cooked noodles again with cold water to remove the excess starch.
• To serve, add the boiled noodles in a serving bowl and top it with a ladle or two black bean sauce. Then, garnish it with sliced cucumbers and a sunny-side egg. Bon Appétit!