Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)
An old-fashioned Jjajangmyeon made by stir-frying pork, onion, and cabbage in chunjang (Korean black bean paste). The chunjang is fried in oil beforehand to remove its bitter, pasty taste, and scallion oil adds a nutty richness. Instead of Chinese wheat noodles, boiled pasta noodles make it easy to enjoy at home.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Onion1
- Cabbage1/5
- Pork200g
- Cucumber1/3
- Green onion2 stalks
- Pasta noodles2 servings
Sauce & Seasoning
- Chunjang (black bean paste)1/3 cup
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Starch slurry3 Tbsp
- Cooking oil2 cups
- Wateras needed
- Salt1 tbsp
Directions
- 1
Pour 2 cups of cooking oil into a pan, add 1/3 cup of chunjang (Korean black bean paste), and fry it in the oil to remove its harsh, bitter taste.
- 2
Peel the cucumber in a rotating motion and julienne it for garnish; cut the cabbage and onion into large chunks and finely chop the scallions.
- 3
Coat a cold, unheated pan with cooking oil, add the scallions, then turn on the heat to infuse the oil with scallion flavor (scallion oil).
- 4
Once the scallion oil is fragrant, add the pork and stir-fry.
- 5
Once the meat is cooked, add the cabbage and onion (but not the cucumber) and stir-fry.
- 6
Add 1/3 cup of the fried chunjang and 1 tablespoon of sugar, and stir-fry.
- 7
Stir-fry until the chunjang is evenly mixed with the other ingredients. Served over noodles at this stage, it becomes ganjjajang (dry-style jjajangmyeon).
- 8
Pour in enough water to just cover the ingredients and bring to a boil, then add a starch slurry (water and starch mixed 3:1) to thicken it to the right consistency.
- 9
Add 1 tablespoon of salt to boiling water and cook 2 servings of pasta noodles for about 13 minutes. Place the cooked noodles in a bowl, pour the jjajang sauce over them, and top with the cucumber garnish to finish.
Tips
The chunjang must be fried once in oil to get rid of its bitter, pasty taste. Adding 1 tablespoon of sugar brings out the savory depth.