Jjajangmyun used to be the all-time Korean kid’s favorite food. At least to me, it was. The dish was known as the special treat for the children when they had done something really good, like getting an A on their school report or finishing their piano lesson to a certain level. It is a nostalgic food for every Korean above 30+ years old.
I don’t remember my mom making these noodles at home. She never bothered to make it because it was easily, quickly, and inexpensively accessible. Like a box of pizza that we order as a take-out these days, this Jjajangmyun was often delivered to everyone’s home.
Jjajangmyun is actually a Chinese noodle dish, made with black bean paste in the sauce. For some reason the dish has evolved a little differently in Korea than it was in China, and it became very popular among Koreans.
If you don’t have the Korean style Chinese restaurants in your area, you will be glad that you found this recipe. It is quite easy to make. You will also find the instructions on my blog, Beyond Kimchee, as well.
First you will need some cubed pork (about 1/2″ in size). Any pork cut is okay-la.
Dice your vegetables, all in cubed shapes. Cabbage, onion, potato, and zucchini are my chosen ones.
Now, there are two types of black bean base sauce. One is in powdered form and the other in paste. My advice? Get the paste. Although the powder is easier to cook with, I found the paste yields better taste.
You want to fry the paste in prior to make sauce. That way it will remove some bitterness of the black bean paste. It looks like there’s awful amounts of oil, but the sauce doesn’t soak up much oil. Fry the paste with 1 tablespoon of sugar for 3-4 minutes over the medium heat. As you see, the oil and the paste don’t mingle together.
With a slotted spoon transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside. Discard oil in the pan except 1 tablespoonful to remain.