Jjajangmyun (Korean Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)
Jjajangmyun has its roots in Chinese cuisine. You may have seen it on Chinese menus as chicken in black bean sauce. The main difference between the Chinese and Korean versions is that the Korean jjajangmyun is typically sweeter due to the addition of sugar.So what is black bean paste? In Asian cuisine, black bean paste isn’t made from black beans, but fermented soy beans and carmel color. The Korean version of this paste is bitter and is sweetened with sugar. The paste is the essential ingredient in black bean garlic sauce, which is pretty much the base of jjajangmyun.Preparing jjajangmyun is fairly simple. You can use either pork or chicken for the protein. Pork shoulder and chicken thigh will work the best. A little bit of fat is necessary in this dish. Once the sauce is finished, it is ladled over Korean jjajang noodles. It is then topped off with a fried egg. If you don’t have noodles, you can put this over steamed rice; A.K.A. jjajangbap.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lb pork shoulder 1” cubes
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 green onions chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger minced
- 1/2 cup black bean paste
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1/4 head green cabbage chopped
- 1/3 cup rice wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 4 tbsp of cold water
- 2 portions jjajang noodles
- fried eggs
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan or wok over high heat. Sauté the pork shoulder for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the green onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the black bean paste. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the cabbage and onions. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add in the cooking wine. Cook until the liquid has evaporated. Then add in the chicken stock and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- While the pork and black bean sauce is simmering. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the jjajang noodles, boiling for 6-7 minutes. Drain and run under cold water.
- The last minute of cooking, stir in the slurry you made of cornstarch and water. This will thicken the sauce.
- Portion out the noodles and black bean sauce. Top with a fried egg.
