Jjajangmeyeon (Korean Black Bean Sauce Noodles)

thumbnail of landscape of Jjajangmyeon (Korean black bean sauce noodles) in a white bowl.

5 from 4 votes

Jjajangmeyeon (Korean Black Bean Sauce Noodles)

This Korean Jjajangmyeon (Ja Jang Myun) noodle dish features a umami rich, sweet and savory black bean sauce served over chewy wheat noodles—a combination that's both simple and incredibly satisfying.

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: Main

Cuisine: Korean

Servings:

Calories: 953kcal

Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

200 g fresh wheat noodles (or 150g dry wheat noodles)
150 g pork belly
1 clove garlic clove (½ teaspoon, minced)
1 small onion (½ cup, finely diced)
1 small potato (approx. ½ cup, finely diced)
⅓ cucumber (approx. ½ cup)

Jjajang Sauce

5 tablespoons Korean black bean sauce (chunjang)
2 tablespoons sugar
1½ cups chicken broth or water

Starch Slurry (To Thicken Sauce)

1 tablespoon potato starch (or cornstarch)
1½ tablespoon cold water

Instructions

Boil the Jajangmyeon Noodles

Cook 200 g fresh wheat noodles (or 150g dried wheat noodles) in a pot of boiling water. To keep the noodles chewy, cook them for 1 minute less than the instructions recommend.
Once they're cooked, strain them out into a colander and rinse them with cold water immediately. Add a teaspoon of oil and mix it in. This will prevent the noodles from sticking together.

Preparation

Begin by thinly slicing ⅓ cucumber into small, matchstick-like pieces. This will be used as a garnish for the finished dish, set the aside for the very end.
Next, cut 1 small potatointo small, evenly-sized ¼ cubes. I don't peel my potatoes, but if you prefer them peeled, you can peel them before cutting them. Set them aside for later.
After that, finely dice 1 small onion into small ¼ inch pieces. Then, finely mince 1 clove garlic clove. Set these both aside for later.
Cut the 150 g pork belly (or bacon), into ½ inch pieces, and set it aside for later.

Make the Jajang Sauce

In a large skillet or frying pan, heat oil on medium heat and pan-fry the onions until they're fragrant and slightly brown. Then add in the pork belly and cook it for a few more minutes.
Add more oil to the pan. Then add in 2 tablespoons sugar and 5 tablespoons Korean black bean sauce (chunjang) and toast it in the oil for about 2 minutes to caramelize it.
Next add in the potatoes and minced garlic and cook it with the sauce for about 1 minute.
Adjust the heat to medium-low, add 1½ cups chicken broth or water, and mix everything until it is evenly mixed. If there are any burnt brown bits on the bottom of the pan (called the Fond), scrape them with a wooden spoon into the broth for more flavor. Let it simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes.
While we wait for the sauce to simmer, mix 1 tablespoon potato starch (or cornstarch) with 1½ tablespoon cold water in a separate small bowl to make a slurry. This will be used to thicken the sauce later.
Once the jjajang sauce has finished simmering, give the starch slurry a quick stir (the starch will settle at the bottom) and slowly pour it into the sauce. Keep stirring for a minute or two until the sauce thickens.

Plate and Serve

The noodles may be clumped together in the colander. Rinse it with cold water again and wiggle it under running water with your fingers to loosen it up into individual strands again. Make sure you drain them well so there isn't any excess water in the bowl, which will water down your sauce.
Add the noodles to a bowl or a large plate, then ladle the jjajang sauce on top of them.
Garnish with your julienne cucumbers on top or the side of the plate.
Enjoy this delicious Korean Chinese noodle dish.

Notes

Use Wheat Noodles (Dry vs Fresh Noodles): For this Korean black bean noodles dish, it's best to use wheat noodles, as they provide the perfect chewy texture that compliments the rich jjajang sauce. You can find them both in dry or fresh form (make sure you see wheat in the ingredient list). I personally think they both are great. Remember to boil the noodles for 1 minute less than the instructions to keep them firm and springy.

Use Korean Bean Sauce, Not Chinese Black Bean Sauce: It's important not to substitute Chinese black bean paste (lee kum kee brand) with Korean Black bean sauce (chujang). The Korean version tastes less pungent than the Chinese version, so it works well as a sauce for the noodles. The Chinese version is more fermented, and will be too strong of a flavor for this noodle dish.

Pork Belly Substitution: If you can't get pork belly, you can also use bacon! I like to use low sodium bacon, because it' is less salty, and make sure you cut them into ½ inch pieces, so you can have bites of it with your noodles.

Rinse Noodles In Cold Water After Boiling Them: After boiling, rinse the noodles with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool them down. This also helps to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Don't forget to add a teaspoon of oil to the wet noodles and mix it well to keep them from sticking.

Rinse the Noodles Right Before Serving As Well!: Since we parboil the noodles first, chances are when we are ready to plate everything, the noodles will be tacky and stuck together (even if you oil it.) To get the noodles slippery and less tacky again, I run the noodles under cold water in the colander again and wiggle it with my fingers to remove the excess starches, which makes them fresh again!

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