Ganjjajang-Style Jjajangmyeon (Black Bean Sauce Noodles)

Ingredients

• I used leftover thinly sliced pork belly, but pork shoulder, ham, collar, or regular pork belly all work.
• Try preparing small amounts of potato or zucchini as well.

Steps

1. Prepare the ingredients

   

   I used leftover thinly sliced pork belly, but pork shoulder, ham, collar, or regular pork belly all work.

   I love cabbage for its great texture in jjajangmyeon, so I prepared a generous amount.

   Get the onion ready to cut through the richness; large green onion is not in the original recipe, but I will use only the white part to make green onion oil.

   Try preparing small amounts of potato or zucchini as well.

   You will need 2 servings of chinese-style noodles and, most importantly, 2 tbsp of chunjang (black bean paste).

2. Cut the ingredients

   

   

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   Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces, and slice the cabbage and onion to a similar size.

   Thinly slice the large green onion for the aromatic oil.

3. Stir-fry ingredients in aromatic oil

   

   

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   Add the large green onion and 1 tbsp of minced ginger to a heated pan and stir-fry briskly until fragrant.

   You can also thoroughly fry the chunjang in this aromatic oil first to remove its astringency before adding the meat and vegetables.

   

   

   

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   Add the meat and onion, season lightly with 1/2 tbsp of regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang), and stir-fry.

   Once the meat is fully cooked, add the rest of the cabbage...

4. Add seasoning

   

   

   

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   Add 1/2 tbsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of oyster sauce, and 2 tbsp of chunjang (black bean paste), then stir-fry.

   

   

   

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   Stir-fry well so that the harsh bitterness of the chunjang disappears and the flavors blend smoothly.

   If it tastes light, adjust with soy sauce, and finish by adding 1 tbsp of potato starch slurry and mixing evenly.

   The potato starch slurry is a mix of 1 tbsp potato starch and 1 tbsp water.

5. Boil noodles

   

   

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   Add the chinese-style noodles to rolling boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.

   

   Rinse in cold water to wash away excess starch and drain well.

6. Finish

   

   Chef Lee Yeon-bok broke down the cooking process so simply for home cooks that it comes together in a flash.

   Perhaps because generous minced ginger was used in the sauce instead of garlic, the finish is remarkably clean and delicious with zero off-flavors.

   

   

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   I sprinkled on a little gochugaru, mixed it thoroughly, and enjoyed every bite.

   

   I also served sliced raw onion with chunjang as a side dish. Our kitchen feels just like a famous jjajangmyeon restaurant.

   How about making jjajangmyeon for the whole family on Sunday instead of instant Chapagetti?

Ppunwife's tips

• You can thoroughly stir-fry the chunjang in this aromatic oil first to tame its astringency before adding the meat and vegetables.
• Two pinches of MSG, as mentioned, gives you the perfect Korean-Chinese restaurant flavor.

FAQ

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