Jjajangmyun (Korean Black Bean Noodles)
What is Jjajangmyun?
Jjajangmyun is a Korean noodle dish made with chunjang sauce that is mixed with vegetables and meat. Chunjang sauce is a thick and black sauce consisting of fermented black soybean, caramel and flour. Interestingly, Jjajangmyun was derived from a Chinese noodle dish called zhajiangmian, and the sauce was made with a salted yellow soybean or sweet soybean mixed with ground beef or pork. Despite the minor differences, both dishes are served with soft and chewy wheat noodles.
I can still remember my first time eating Jjajangmyun like it was yesterday, even if more than twenty years have passed. My family and I dined at a Korean noodle house in Koreatown, Los Angeles. The restaurant had wood paneled walls with dim lighting. I wonder if the restaurant is still there? Anyway, when I had my first bite, I was not accustomed to the slight bitter taste, but after eating more and more of it, I grew to like it. It’s become my favorite comfort food.
After moving from Los Angeles and being away from all the yummy Korean food, I began to miss eating Jjajangmyun. The price of the Jjajangmyun was expensive and the taste was not very satisfying. With tips from my mom, I learned to make my own homemade Jjajangmyun. I don’t think I’ll ever buy takeout Jjajangmyun again. The best part of making it at home is you can add all the veggies you want! I add in carrots, onions, cabbage, and zucchini. Some people even add potatoes.
If you love noodles, try my other noodle dishes!
Pad mama (stir-fry instant noodles)
Enough of the chit chat, let’s dive into the recipe!
Instructions
The main ingredients in this recipe include chunjang sauce, carrots, onions, cabbage, zucchini, onions, chicken and wheat noodles!
To begin, add 1/4 cup of cooking oil in pan. Then add the chunjang sauce. Fry for 5 minutes. This process helps to remove the bitterness from sauce. Remove the chunjang from the pan and set aside.
Next, fry the garlic and add the chicken. Cook the chicken until almost browned. Add the carrots, onion, zucchini and soy sauce. Instead of chicken, you can add a meat of your choice or make it vegetarian!
Add the sugar, cabbage and oyster sauce. Stir-fry everything together.
After, transfer the chunjang sauce into the pan and pour in the water. Mix everything. Pour the corn starch slurry into the sauce. Finally, add the tablespoon of honey.
Boil jajang noodles according to the package instructions. You can use dried or fresh noodles. I used dried noodles. When searching for the noodles, look out for the word “jajangguksu” on the front package of either the dry or fresh noodles. If you cannot find jajangguksu, you can use spaghetti noodles or udon noodles. Pour sauce over noodles!
Don’t forget to pair your homemade jajang noodles with a side of kimchi.
Jjajangmyun (Korean Black Bean Noodles)
Jjajangmyun is a Korean noodle dish made with chunjang sauce that is mixed with vegetables and meat. Chunjang sauce is a thick and black sauce consisting of fermented black soybean, caramel and flour.
Ingredients
- 125 g chunjang sauce see photo above for the chujang brand I used
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- ¼ pound chicken chopped
- 2 garlic clove minced
- ½ onion chopped
- ½ small cabbage chopped
- 1 small carrot cubed
- ½ zucchini cubed
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1.5 tbsp corn starch mixed with ¼ cup water
- Jajang Noodles
Instructions
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Add ¼ cup of cooking oil in pan. Then add the chunjang sauce. Fry for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the pan and set aside.
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Fry the garlic and add the chicken. Cook the chicken until almost browned. Add the carrots, onion, zucchini and soy sauce.
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Add the sugar, cabbage and oyster sauce. Stir-fry everything together.
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Transfer the chunjang sauce you set aside into the pan and pour in water. Mix everything. Pour the corn starch slurry into the sauce. Add the tablespoon of honey.
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Boil jajang noodles according to package instructions. Top noodles with jajang sauce.