Jjajangmyeon or black bean paste noodles is a popular staple food in Korea. It is a Chinese style noodles topped with chunks of meat and vegetables simmered with black bean paste. You can also improvise this recipe by adding your own favourite vegetables or meat. This is definitely a comfort food to eat when watching you favourite Korean drama!
2tbspPotato Starchcombined with ¼cup water and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl, set aside
1tspSesame Oil
1/2cupCucumbercut into thin matchsticks for garnish
2cupWater
Instructions
Stir-fry the pork belly in a large, deep wok with 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil for about 4-5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Pour out the excess pork fat.
Add radish and stir fry for 1 minute.
Add potato, onion, and zucchini and keep stirring for about 3 minutes until the potato looks a little translucent.
Clear a space in the center of the wok by pushing the ingredients to the edges.
Add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil to the center of the wok, then add ¼ cup of black bean paste and stir it with a wooden spoon for 1 minute to fry it. Then mix everything in the wok and keep stirring.
Add 2 cups of water to the wok and let it cook with the lid closed for about 10 minutes.
Open the lid and taste a sample of the radish and potato. If they’re fully cooked, stir in the starch water little by little. Keep stirring until it’s well mixed and thick.
Add the sesame oil and remove from the heat.
Serve with noodles (jjajangmyeon) or steamed rice (jjajangbap).
Notes
Make jjajangmyeon Noodles for jjajangmyeon can be found at Korean grocery stores. The noodles are thick and chewy. 1. Boil and drain the noodles. Rinse and strain in cold water. 2. Put one serving of noodles onto a serving plate and add the jjajang sauce over top. Garnish with cucumber strips and serve.