Jjajangmyeon

Origin

Jjajangmyeon is a Korean adaptation of Chinese zhájiàngmiàn, developed in Incheon’s Chinatown. Thick wheat noodles are topped with a sauce of chunjang (black bean paste) fried with pork and vegetables until dark and glossy.

How to make them

1. 01

   Boil thick fresh jjajangmyeon or udon-like wheat noodles until chewy.

2. 02

   Fry chunjang in oil to mellow bitterness, then add pork, onion, and zucchini.

3. 03

   Add stock and starch slurry to make a thick, glossy sauce.

4. 04

   Ladle over drained noodles with cucumber garnish.

Storage

Fresh noodles refrigerate a few days; dried keep longer airtight. Black bean sauce stores refrigerated 3–4 days and reheats well with a splash of water.

Popular dishes

• Classic Jjajangmyeon

  Thick noodles blanketed in pork-and-onion black bean sauce.

• Jjamjjamppong Combo

  Half jjajangmyeon, half spicy seafood noodle soup—a popular order.

• Seafood Jjajangmyeon

  Black bean sauce enriched with squid, shrimp, or clams.

• Vegetable Jjajangmyeon

  Meatless version heavy on onion, potato, and zucchini.

• Jjajangbap

  The same black bean sauce served over rice instead of noodles.