Korean jajangmyeon, or noodles in black bean sauce, is a popular dish around the world due to its immensely satisfying and savoury flavours. In Korea itself, it’s embedded into the culture so much that it’s developed an iconic status – not only is it a street food staple, but it’s also devoured on special occasions and portrayed in films and K-pop songs as the ultimate comfort food that brings people together. My opinion? Utterly unctuous and delicious. Protect jajangmyeon at all costs.
WATCH THIS RECIPE
Korean Jajangmyeon (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)
PREP TIME
20 minutes
COOK TIME
25 minutes
SERVES
4
Ingredients
250g (9 oz) pork scotch fillet, cut into 1cm (about ⅜ inch) dice
1 tbsp pork lard
1 small onion, diced
2 cups roughly chopped cabbage
2½ tbsp Korean black bean paste (known as chunjang)*
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp white sugar
1 cup beef stock
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 1 tbsp water
300g (10.5 oz) fresh jajangmyeon noodles, fresh Chinese flat egg noodles or 150g dried udon noodles
2 soft-boiled eggs, halved, to serve
julienned cucumber, to serve
Marinade
1 tbsp mirin
½ tsp ground black pepper
Optional extras
sliced Korean or Japanese yellow daikon pickle
onion, cut into small bite-sized pieces
Korean black bean paste (Chunjang), for dipping
Steps
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Place the pork into a large bowl and add the marinade ingredients. Mix well and then set aside. Bring a pot of water to the boil for the noodles later.
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Place your wok or frying pan over high heat. When it’s hot, add the lard. Add the pork and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until the pork is evenly coloured and almost cooked. Next, add the onion and stir-fry for a minute or until softened, then add the cabbage and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes or until translucent.
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Turn down the heat to medium then add Chunjang-Korean black bean paste. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until well combined. Add the oyster sauce and sugar and stir-fry for another minute. Pour in the beef stock and allow everything to simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
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Drizzle in the cornflour slurry and mix in well. Cook for a further minute or until the sauce is thick and glossy, then turn off the heat and set aside.
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Cook the noodles in the boiling water according to packet instructions or until just cooked. Drain and divide among serving bowls.
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Spoon over the warm pork mixture (heat it up over medium heat if it’s cooled down too much). Top with cucumber and half an egg. Serve with daikon pickle, onion and Chunjang-Korean black bean paste (to dip the onion). Mix the noodles until completely combined. Have little bites of the pickle and onion in between slurps of noodles!
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Notes:
Korean black bean paste, also known as chunjang, is a deeply coloured fermented soybean paste that is salty, slightly sweet and earthy. Find it online or from an Asian grocer.
Jajangmyeon noodles are a type of Korean wheat noodle sold in Asian grocery stores. But if you can’t find these specific noodles, you can substitute fresh flat Chinese egg noodles or dried udon noodles.
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