Jajangmyeon or Black Bean Noodles is originally a Chinese dish. It is called “zha jiang mian” which literally means fried sauce noodles. It was adopted by Koreans brought by Chinese immigrants in the early days.
For Koreans, we love having this during moving days because it is cheap, filling, and accessible for delivery back then. It has grown into a tradition for us now.
Aside from that, my fondest memory of black bean noodles is that this was what my mom would typically get me in restaurants when I was a kid. This would be our version of kids’ spaghetti and we just laugh at the fact that we get black teeth and faces after eating the noodles!
While the packaged jajangmyeon has gained traction recently, having the real one, cooked from scratch is the real deal. It is earthy and savory which is miles different from the instant one. If you’ve been disappointed before, make sure to give this a try, and maybe it can change the way you think about the noodles!
The Jajang Sauce
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The jajang sauce has different elements that make a difference in the total outcome of the dish.
Pork
For the main protein, jajangmyeon is commonly cooked with pork shoulder butt or pork belly. It is sauteed in scallions and as the fat renders, both the oil and the pork itself become flavorful. Whether you like it sliced thin or chunky, is really up to you.
Some people have asked whether you can use other meat for this, and the answer is yes! Many have tried chicken (with skin on) or beef with a bit of fat as the main protein for the noodles. The fat is fairly essential in the dish because the flavor from sauteing it in scallions will carry over when you saute the vegetables.
Vegetables
The common vegetables added to jajangmyeon are zucchini, potatoes, cabbage, and white onion. For the sake of uniformity, it should be cut into small bite-size cubes or pieces so you can mix it well with the noodles. You can use whichever is available to you among these vegetables~
Sauté the vegetables in the pork fat for 5 minutes until slightly toasted. The goal is to bring out as much flavor but not overcook them.
Chunjang or Black Bean Paste
For the chunjang, there is a type of black bean sauce ready to be used available in Korean supermarkets. But honestly, I don’t know how to use that and I prefer making it from scratch. I like to use an actual black bean paste and it needs to be fried in oil for a couple of minutes before using it.
The paste can’t be just thrown right into the vegetables, you need to toast it separately to bring out the taste. The consistency will change, it will become nuttier, and this step will eliminate the bitter flavor from the paste. Be careful not to burn it as it will become even more bitter.
Refer to the recipe card for the step-by-step instructions, but do keep in mind the notes I mentioned above. When you combine these different parts and season the sauce with soy sauce and sugar appropriately, you’ll be able to create a jajang sauce you will never forget!
TIP: Gradually add the potato starch slurry according to the thickness or consistency that you like.
The sauce can be made in advance and it should keep well in the fridge for about 3 days. This is also the kind of sauce that tastes better the next day, so it’s convenient and tasty, win-win!
The Jajang Noodles
Jajang noodles are not necessarily exclusive to jajangmyeon. It is just preferred that you use fresh noodles for this dish. If fresh noodles are not available, you can use udon, kalguksu (hand-cut noodles), or even make jajangbap, or jajang tteokbokki to use the jajang sauce!
If you are going to use noodles, boil them until cooked, then wash down all the excess starch and drain. Not that it should be served cold, but it is okay if the noodles are not as hot. Just make sure the sauce will be hot when you top the noodles. Also, only cook the noodles when you are ready to eat them. The noodles cannot be cooked in advance.
Serving Jajangmyeon
Some garnish that you can put on top of jajangmyeon is julienned cucumber for freshness or sunny-side-up egg for savor and creaminess.
When you eat this, there is no other side dish you need than danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and kimchi. These go perfectly well with the noodles and I can’t even explain why~~
Aside from the side dishes mentioned above, jajangmyeon is also the perfect pair for some tangsuyuk (Korean Sweet and Sour Pork) or kanpunggi (Korean Spicy Garlic Chicken~ In local Korean restaurants, it’s just black bean noodles and either of the two for a perfect Korean meal!
Other unique Korean noodle dishes you might like:
- Acorn Noodle Soup
- Bibim Guksu (Spicy Cold Noodles)
- Dongchimi Guksu (Radish Cold Noodles)
- Kongguksu (Soybean Cold Noodles)
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Black Bean Noodles (Jajangmyeon)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Scallions Chopped
- 200 grams Pork Butt or Pork Belly Sliced thin or chunky according to preference
- Vegetable or Canola Oil For sauteing
- 120 grams Zucchini Pitted, chopped into small cubes
- 120 grams Onion Chopped into small cubes
- 120 grams White Cabbage Chopped into small cubes
- 4 tbsp Chunjang or Black Bean Paste
- 1 cup Water
- 1-2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Potato Starch
- 2 tbsp Water
Instructions
- In high heat, saute the scallions and pork until slightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, saute onion and zucchini for a couple of minutes. Add the cabbage and continue sauteing until the vegetables are slightly toasted.
- In another pan, stir fry the black bean sauce for a couple of minutes until it has rendered down a bit and turned into a slightly stickier consistency.
- Add the stir-fried sauce and water to the vegetables and mix thoroughly until the paste has thinned out. Add the pork back.
- Season with soy sauce and sugar. Add more as needed.
- Add potato starch slurry gradually and check until the desired consistency is reached.
- In a separate pot, boil the noodles for 5-6 minutes, then drain. Wash in cold water and let it drain for a few minutes.
- Plate the noodle and top them with the sauce. Garnish with cucumber or sunny side-up egg.
- Serve with danmuji and kimchi and enjoy!
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