Jjajangmyeon

짜장면

(Korean-Chinese Black Noodles)

Jjajangmyeon is a Korean-style Chinese dish. It was introduced by Chinese merchants but the flavor was made to suit the Korean taste buds. In the past, it was eaten during special occasions like birthdays or graduation days. In recent years, it has been a symbolic dish for single people during Black Day (April 14). Now that it has become a common dish, people order it for delivery at any time of the day. In the drama, Wok of Love,5 jjajangmyeon is the cause of entanglement of Chil Sung’s, Sae Woo’s, and Poong’s completely different lives.

5 Wok of Love, directed by Seon Ho Park, written by Sook Hyang Seo, starring Jun Ho Lee and Hyuk Jang and Ryeo Won Jung (2018; Seoul: SBS), Netflix.

MAIN INGREDIENTs

Jjajang Paste

JJAJANGMYEON SAUCE

Garnish

How To prepare

  1. Cut cabbage and onions into 1/2-inch cubes.
  2. Peel squid and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
  3. Shred cucumber thinly.

How To Cook

jjajang paste

  1. Put cooking oil and black bean paste in a small pan.
  2. Stir-fry them with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.

JJAJANGMYEON SAUCE

  1. Heat oil, garlic, green onion, and ginger in a wok over low heat. You can use the oil used to make the jjajang paste.
  2. Add rice wine.
  3. Add ground pork and stir-fry until the surface is brown.
  4. Stir-fry the vegetables, then add the shrimp and squid.
  5. Add the jjajang paste and stir-fry until ingredients are cooked.
  6. Add sugar and oyster sauce and stir-fry for a while.
  7. First, put 1 cup water in a pot and boil, then little by little add cornstarch water into it, keeping an eye out for the concentration. Adjust the concentration as you slowly add the cornstarch water into the boiling water.

Noodles

  1. Put noodles in boiling water. When the noodles boil, add a cup of cold water for the noodles to become chewier.
  2. Rinse the noodles in cold water, then drain.
  3. Place the noodles in a big bowl and pour the Jjajangmyeon sauce on top of it.
  4. Garnish with cucumber and sesame seeds.

Chef’s Notes

You can make a lot of the paste and keep it in the fridge for a long time. Just take some whenever you need it.

 

This Dish Appears in the Following Korean Drama/s:

 

CHEF REGGIE’S TIPS

VARIATION

Chef Reggie’s Rendition of Jjajangmyeon

1/2 cup Chef Reggie’s coconut oil or your vegetable oil of choice

1 kilo pork belly, skin on, boneless, small dice (You may also use ground pork with 80:20 lean meat to fat ratio if you like your Jjajangmyeon with meaty sauce.)

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup Chef Reggie’s Aromatic Seasoning Wine

1 cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon garlic, pounded

1 cup black bean paste

2 tablespoons abalone sauce

1 tablespoon soy suce

3 cups pork stock (3 cups water + 1 pork cube)

1/4 piece cabbage, chopped

1 piece zucchini, skin on, diced

1 piece potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 piece red onion, diced

2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt, more or less depending on your taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 kilo Korean or Japanese fresh udon noodles, boiled and drained (You may also use fresh hand-pulled noodles.)

sesame oil, for drizzling before serving

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan, then add pork.
  2. When pork changes color, add in the sugar and continue cooking over moderate heat until sugar caramelizes and coats the meat nicely.
  3. Add in wine and cook until reduced.
  4. Add in onion, black bean paste, abalone sauce, soy sauce, and stock.
  5. Simmer for 30 minutes.
  6. Add in cabbage, zucchini, potato, red onion, and shiitake mushrooms.
  7. Simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour, until meat is soft and sauce is thick with a nice sheen.
  8. Season with sugar, salt, pepper, and chili powder.
  9. Serve over udon noodles.
  10. Drizzle with sesame oil.
  11. Serve with add-ons (see below).

ADD-ONS