How to Make: Jajangmyeon/Jajiangmien/Jajangmyun Black Bean Sauce on Hand Pulled Noodles (자장면)(炸酱面) Koreanised Chinese Food

It's December already, so it's time for some hearty food to warm up from the cold.  Zha jiang mian/Jajangmyeon in Korean, is a traditional Chinese dish, composed of a sweet black bean sauces, meat and other delicious ingredients on top of chewy hand pulled wheat noodles.  It's really good, and sometimes it can be spicy too. But today, this recipe is the Korean version of this classic dish, which tastes completely different, but it is very delicious as well.  Originally, the Chinese version has a combination of fermented bean sauces like, sweet bean sauce, yellow soybean paste (similar to miso), and/or broad bean sauce.  The Korean version uses Jajang, a black bean sauce combined with caramel which gives it a charcoal like taste.  It's slightly sweet, and it's very interesting.  There is an instant ramen variety of this dish by Nongshim, ''Chapaghetti'' because this Chinese dish is so popular in Korea.  Usually it's ordered with Tangsooyuk or Sweet and Sour Pork, another popular Korean-Chinese Dish.  Make sure you get Korean style Black bean paste, it's completely different from the original Chinese one.  It's super easy and satisfying!



Jajangmyeon/Jajiangmien/Jajangmyun : Black Bean Sauce with Hand pulled Noodles(자장면)(炸酱面) :A Koreanised Chinese Food Recipe
Yields: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Ingredients:

• 500 gm of Pork/Chicken/Beef (1 1/2 lbs)
• 2 medium Potatoes
• 1 medium Onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Any other vegetables (carrots, zucchini/courgettes, sweet potato, pumpkin, green peas) 
• 5 tbsp of Jajang (Koreanised-Chinese Black Bean Paste)
• 15 gm of Sugar (1 tbsp)
• 250 mL of water (1 cup)
• 1 tbsp of potato/corn starch + 1 tbsp of water
• 400 gm of Jajiangmien/Jajangmyeon/Jajangmyun Hand Pulled Noodles (ThickWheat or Hand Pulled Noodles or Spaghetti)

Method:

• Cut all the vegetables and meat into uniformed 1 cm (0.5 inch) pieces.
• In a pot/wok on medium heat, add in 15 mL/1 tbsp of Oil.  Add in the garlic, stir fry until fragrant. 
• Add in the onion and potato.  Make sure the potato is almost cooked (try a piece, it should be soft but a little crunchy).  Add in the other vegetables, then add in the water and cover.  Cook until the potato is completely cooked through to your liking.
• In a separate pan put in 60 mL of oil and fry the black bean paste for 3-4 min.  This process will remove the bitterness of the paste.  Drain the excess oil and remove.  Add in the fried black bean paste to the vegetable mixture and mix until the paste is dissolved.
• Add in the potato/corn starch + water mixture and mix it through until it thickens.  You've made Jajiangmien/Jajangmyeon/Jajangmyun sauce!
• Prepare the noodles according to the packet and pour the Jajiangmien/Jajangmyeon/Jajangmyun sauce over the noodles.
• Serve warm, with kimchi, pickled yellow radish, and more vegetables if you like!

Tips/Suggestions/Notes:

• Use Korean style Black bean paste.  The Chinese one is different in taste.
• Use whatever vegetables you fancy.