Jajangmyeon Recipes

KOREAN BLACK BEAN SAUCE NOODLES (JAJANGMYEON)

Steps:

• Rinse the pork in cold water and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Add the pork marinade sauce onto the pork. Mix them well and leave it for 15 mins.
• Cut the onion, zucchini and potato into small cubes.
• Thin slice the mushrooms.
• Cut the cabbage into small to medium size pieces.
• Julienne cut the cucumber.
• Pre heat the wok until the bottom is heated well. Add the lard (or cooking oil) and melts it in the wok. Add the black bean paste and stir it constantly on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. (Try not to burn it.) Add the brown sugar and stir it for an additional 2 to 3 mins.
• Scoop out the black bean paste (without the oil) and set it aside. Leave the oil in the wok to use in the next step.
• Add the pork into the wok and stir until the pork is half cooked.
• Add the onion, zucchini, and potato and stir until all are 1/3 cooked (for 3 to 5 mins).
• Add the mushrooms and cabbages and stir for 2-3 mins.
• Add the black bean paste (from step 2) into the wok and mix it in with vegetables. Stir for 1 to 2 mins.
• Add the chicken stock, water and rice wine then simmer it for 5 to 7 mins on medium heat. (Cover the wok with a lid if possible. This will make the cooking process faster.)
• Add the slurry into the wok then stir it. (This will thicken the black sauce. It is the final stage of making the black bean sauce.)
• (While working on step 7) Boil some water in a pot and add the noodles when it starts to boil. Boil them until the noodles are cooked (for 3 to 5 mins).
• Rinse the noodles in cold water and drain. Put them into a serving bowl/plate.
• Add the black bean sauce (from the step 8) on top of the noodles. You can serve it as it is or decorate it with some cucumber slices, green peas or sweet corn or hardboiled egg.
• Mix the sauce and the noodles well with chopsticks. Dig in. (It is ideal to have them with some (yellow) pickled radish. Apparently it helps digestion. Also eat it up quickly before the noodles get swollen.)

JAJANGMYEON

Steps:

• Heat a wok or large sauté pan over high heat, and add the oil to it. When it shimmers and is about to smoke, add the pork belly and shoulder, and allow them to brown, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
• Turn the heat to medium-high, and add the ginger and garlic, and sauté until softened, approximately 1 to 2 minutes, then add the carrot, potato, onion and the diced zucchini, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the black-bean paste to the pan, along with the sugar, a light sprinkle of salt and about 1 cup water. Stir to combine, then allow to cook until the sauce has thickened and the meat and vegetables have cooked through entirely, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, set a large pot filled with water over high heat to bring to a boil. Add the noodles, and cook until they are soft, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Reserve a cup of the noodle water, and then drain the noodles, rinsing them with cold water to bring them to room temperature. Set aside in a large serving bowl.
• Add a little of the reserved noodle water to the pork-and-black-bean sauce if it is too thick, then pour the sauce over the noodles. Garnish with the julienned zucchini and the pickled daikon.

JAJANGMYEON (VEGETARIAN KOREAN BLACK BEAN NOODLES)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add garlic, carrot, and potato. Stir and add salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add zucchini and onion; stir.
• Combine cornstarch and water together in a bowl until fully mixed.
• Add water, black bean paste, and sugar to the wok and stir. Add starch mixture to wok slowly while stirring; cook until sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook noodles in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender yet firm to the bite, about 3 minutes. Drain.
• Serve noodles in a large pasta bowl and add black bean mixture on top. Mix well.