Super Easy Jjajangmyeon Recipe

Let me preface this by saying that, as you might know if you've read this blog from the beginning, I love Korean food. As a matter of fact, I kind of have an affinity for it and love anything that comes out of Korea in general (umm, like my family in Incheon).  Growing up in Anchorage, there was always a great variety and number of Korean food available.

Surprising? Not so much.

There is actually a pretty prominent Korean-American population here, who have been established in Alaska for several decades. For as long as I could remember, many local restaurants I would go to with friends or family had at least one section of Korean food on their menu. This was because these restaurants (of any cuisine) were owned by a Korean-American family. Thus, cementing Korean food in Alaskan food culture and tastebuds forever!

Naturally, there came a time when I wanted to learn how to make the foods I grew up with. Jjajangmyeon is one of my favorite noodle dishes. It was one of the first things I learned how to cook all by myself. Albeit simple and not requiring so much prep time, I still felt accomplished when I made my first bowl!

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What You'll Need

 

For the sauce
4 Tbsp of black bean paste
1/2 pound of your choice of meat*
1 cup of zucchini cut into cubes
1-2 cups of onion chunks 
1 cup of daikon radish cut into cubes
1 cup of potato chunks
2 Tbsp of potato starch
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame or grape seed oil**
1 1/2 cup of water 

*You may exclude this if you are vegan/vegetarian.
**I prefer grape seed or sesame oil but any oil will do.

For the noodles
Any package of dried medium noodles available from an Asian supermarket/ethnic section will do.

For best results, use medium dried noodles. Udon works well, too! Follow instructions per packaging. Also, if the package comes with the noodles bundled, use just one or two. You don't want to make too many noodles and not have enough sauce!

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What You Need To Do

1. Cut daikon and zucchini into cubes.
2. Cut onions and potatoes into small chunks.
3. Cut meat into small/thin pieces.
4. Heat a large pan or wok.
5. Once pan or wok is heated, add your meat and cook until browned. Or, if using pork, cook until crispy.
6. Add the daikon first, then zucchini, potatoes and onions. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
7. Section off your meat and veggies to one side of the pan, leaving a little room on the side or the middle.
8. In your empty section, add your 1 tsp of sesame or grape seed oil.
9. Add 4 Tbsp of black bean paste.
10. Stir and blend the oil and paste. When completely blended, spread and mix the paste with your meat and vegetables.
11. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, lower heat and cover for 5 minutes or until water minimizes/evaporates.
12. In a bowl or cup, mix 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbsp potato starch, 1 tsp sugar.
13. Gently pour the mix onto the sauce and stir slowly. The sauce will thicken as you stir.
14. Set heat on low or turn off your stove. The sauce can be reheated once your noodles are ready.
15. Follow instructions per noodle packaging, drain and strain. Reheat your sauce if needed. Put your noodles in a big bowl and top it with the sauce!

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This is seriously one of my favorite dishes! It might be because it reminds me of another dish that I grew up with that has an almost identical name, Za Jiang Mein (Chinese noodles with ground meat and a different black sauce). Jjajangmyeon is definitely a quick and easy dinner that I prepare once in a while if I'm feeling a little lazy. And, I eat the heck out of it EVERYTIME!

 

What's your favorite thing to cook?