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How To Make Jajangmyeon -Delicious Korean Black Bean Sauce Noodles!

Apr 10, 2019Last Modified: May 5, 2022

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A white bowl with blue flowers on the edge holding jajangmyeon topped with cucumber and pickled daikon matchsticks with metal chopsticks and kimchi in the background
Jump to:
  • What is Jajangmyeon?
  • What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Jajangmyeon?
  • Black Bean Paste and Noodles
  • Instructions
  • What To Serve With Jajangmyeon
  • Black Food Day
  • Jajangmyeon Is Such A Fun Dish!
  • Let's Enjoy A Food Journey Together!
  • Easy and Delicious Jajangmyeon Recipe

What is Jajangmyeon?

Jajangmyeon is Korean comfort food at its best. It originated in China, and now is considered a type of Chinese-Korean fusion food.

It is delicious noodles topped with black bean paste. The black bean sauce is added to a stir fry that consists of diced pork, zucchini, potato, cabbage, and onion. It is then topped with some cucumber matchsticks to finish it off. You will definitely want a heaping bowlful of the jajangmyeon as it is so scrumptious!

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Jajangmyeon?

Bottle of olive oil, jar of black bean paste, bottle of soy sauce, saucer with chicken broth, wedge of cabbage, garlic cloves, ginger, potato, onion, zucchini, and some pork chops on a white plate

You'll need the following ingredients to make this fantastic Korean comfort food:

  • Olive oil
  • Pork (I used thin pork chops)
  • Zucchini squash
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Cabbage
  • Onion
  • Potato
  • Korean black bean paste (I used Assi brand)
  • Soy sauce
  • Sugar
  • Black pepper
  • Rice vinegar
  • Chicken broth
  • Cucumber and pickled daikon radish matchsticks (optional garnish)

Once you gather your ingredients, the hardest part of this recipe is dicing the veggies. Other than that, this comes together pretty quickly and you will be rewarded with some amazing delish noodles!

Black Bean Paste and Noodles

The black bean paste I used is by the Korean brand Assi. You can buy this at your local Korean market or at Amazon using this link. The black bean paste is called "chunjang" and it is fermented caramel, soybean, and flour. The taste is a bit salty and sweet, and of course the color is black. Once opened, the chunjang will need to be stored in the refrigerator.

Jar os assi black bean paste being held by a hand with cabbage and pork in the background

The noodles that are used for this dish are typically made of wheat, and very often sold frozen in Asian or Korean stores. They may be labeled udon or jajangmyeon noodles. However, I only had these Kalguksu Knife-Cut Korean Style Noodles and they worked perfectly fine! The Kalguksu noodles are not traditional for this dish but I enjoyed using them. In general you will find both dried and fresh varieties of noodles available in your local Korean market, and it's fun to experiment with both kinds of noodles!

package of Kalguksu noodles

Instructions

It's super easy to make Jajangmyeon!

Begin by heating up a pan on med high heat, and add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the minced ginger and garlic.  Stir fry constantly for 1 minute. Then add the pork and continue stir frying until no longer pink (approximately 3-5 min). 

minced ginger and garlic in olive oil in a pan
minced garlic, ginger, and diced pork in a pan

Then add the cabbage, onion, potato, and zucchini.  Stir and lower the heat to medium. Cover and cook for around 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring every so often. 

Add 1 cup of chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, and the Korean black bean paste.  Bring to the boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

In the meantime, heat up water and cook your noodles of choice according to package directions. 

vegetables including cabbage, chicken broth, pork, and black bean paste in a pan
noodles held by tongs over boiling water

Add the rice vinegar as a final step and the jajangmyeon is ready to eat!

diced pork and vegetables with black bean sauce in a pan

What To Serve With Jajangmyeon

A Korean meal is not complete without the national dish of Korea, which is kimchi. So you'll want to serve the jajangmyeon with some kimchi. Kimchi is pretty much salted and fermented vegetables with seasonings. There are so many different kinds available, all delicious! You can buy prepared kimchi at your local Korean market. Or you may want to try this delicious recipe for Pa Kimchi, which is Korean Wild Green Onion Kimchi.

I also recommend that you have serve some cucumber matchsticks and yellow pickled daikon radish with this dish. You can find the pickled daikon radish at your local Asian market in the refrigerated section.

A white bowl with blue flowers on the edge holding jajangmyeon topped with cucumber and pickled daikon matchsticks with metal chopsticks and kimchi in the background

Black Food Day

Jajangmyeon noodles and black bean sauce with cucumber matchsticks and chopsticks holding up the noodles

April 14th is Black Food Day. What is Black Food Day? In Korea it is a day when single people get together to eat black food (typically jajangmyeon!) to commiserate over not being part of Valentine's Day or White Day.

In Korea, Valentine's Day is observed by women giving men gifts on February 14. March 14 then, is White Day. On this day, men return the favor by giving women gifts. Then one month later, April 14, Black Day (or Black Food Day) singles who didn't receive gifts on Valentine's Day or White Day get together to eat the jajangmyeon! By the way, jajang refers to the black bean paste sauce, and myeon refers to the noodles.

Jajangmyeon is an awesome meal for any day, not just April 14. 🙂 It is budget friendly, and quick and easy to prepare.

Jajangmyeon Is Such A Fun Dish!

I always love to practice pronouncing the name of the international dishes that I cook. If you are not familiar with jajangmyeon, then click here to listen to the pronunciation. Then you can practice saying jajangmyeon until it rolls off the tongue. 🙂

Try this delicious noodle dish and bring a taste of Korea to your table! 식사 맛있게하세요!! (Enjoy your meal in Korean). 🙂

Let's Enjoy A Food Journey Together!

Please sign up to get the latest recipes and culinary inspiration! Also come along with me on the 1,000 Foods to Eat Journey by signing up here. 😃

Cheers!

Grace

A white bowl with blue flowers on the edge holding jajangmyeon topped with cucumber and pickled daikon matchsticks with metal chopsticks and kimchi in the background

Easy and Delicious Jajangmyeon Recipe

Grace
Jajangmyeon is Korean comfort food at its best!  Serve a heaping bowlful with some kimchi for a delicious meal tonight!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Servings 4 people
Calories 341 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¾ lb pork diced
  • ½ zucchini squash diced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 inch ginger peeled and minced
  • ¼ cabbage cored and cut into bite sized pieces
  • ½ onion cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 small potato peeled and cut into small pieces
  • 6 tablespoon Korean black bean paste I used Assi brand (reduce this amount if you are watching your salt)
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 ts sugar
  • ½ ts black pepper
  • ½ cucumber cut into matchsticks - for garnish
  • pickled daikon radish cut into matchsticks - for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Heat up a pan on med high heat, and add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the minced ginger and garlic.  Stir fry constantly for 1 minute. 
    minced ginger and garlic in olive oil in a pan
  • Add the pork and continue stir frying until no longer pink (approximately 3-5 min). 
    minced garlic, ginger, and diced pork in a pan
  • Then add the cabbage, onion, potato, and zucchini.  Stir and lower the heat to medium. Cover and cook for around 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring every so often. 
    diced cabbage, zucchini, onion, and potato added to diced pork
  • Add 1 cup of chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, and the Korean black bean paste.  Bring to the boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
    vegetables including cabbage, chicken broth, pork, and black bean paste in a pan
  • In the meantime, heat up water and cook your noodles of choice according to package directions. 
    noodles held by tongs over boiling water
  • Add the rice vinegar as a final step and the jajangmyeon is ready to eat!
    diced pork and vegetables with black bean sauce in a pan

Notes

If you are watching your salt, feel free to reduce the amount of black bean paste to suit your tastes.  
Serve the jajangmyeon on top of Asian noodles, and garnish with cucumber matchsticks.  Great accompaniments include kimchi, and yellow pickled daikon radish.  Enjoy! 

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 19gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 334mgPotassium: 742mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 140IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Noodles
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About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

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