Black, salty, slightly sweet, and earthy, this paste is made with a mixture of soybeans, flour, and caramel and then fermented. It’s essential for making jjajangmyeon (Noodles and black bean sauce). After opening, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

black bean paste

black bean paste

This is Haechandeul brand, which is what I usually get unless something else is on sale. : )

Recipes that use black bean paste (chunjang):

92 Comments:

  1. sai121 UK joined 9/19 & has 1 comment

    hey i love your video. and you sort of remind me of my mum ^^ cute, sweet and great at cooking.
    i was planning on making jajamun but i can’t find any halal black bean paste :( would you or anyone know any halal black bean paste i could use. i’m from the UK btw so if it’s not in store idm ordering it.

    thank you :)

  2. BerryCoco Mauritius Island joined 6/18 & has 1 comment

    Hello Maangchi. First of all I wanted to tell you that I love your videos, thanks for sharing all these amazing recipe. Before trying Korean food I knew I was going to love it after I saw your videos and indeed once I tried it, it’s now among my favourite. I haven’t tried a lot, hopefully soon. I made some of your recipe, even my mum loves them. Before I went vegan I made your fried chicken and my mum loved it. I just wanted to ask if red bean paste is the same as black bean paste? I know this might sound silly to ask. But I am from Mauritius and it’s not easy to find Korean ingredients here. I tried to buy online but they won’t ship to Mauritius. I really love Jajangmyeon and would love to make my own. In China Town here they do have some small shop and only recently they are receiving a few Korean ingredients or even noodles. But so far no black bean paste or gochujang :( They only have red bean paste. But I also saw fermented black bean, so I might do it my own following the recipe that someone who follows you posted. Sorry for this long comment. Love you and thank you :)

  3. roisin999 Wales, United Kingdom joined 8/17 & has 1 comment

    Hello Maangchi! I hope you get to see this. I’m a student moving out to live on my own for the first time and absolutely love Korean cooking! I’m just how long you can keep the fermented black bean paste in the refrigerator as you said this is where to store it after it has been opened. Thank you! Adore your videos xxx

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      You can keep it in the fridge for a long time up to about 6 months. It is very salty and fermented, so it won’t go bad. Only problem is that it will dry out as time passes. If you don’t use it for a while, keep the container in a plastic bag and refrigerate it to prevent it from getting dried.

  4. Lexa922 Germany joined 1/17 & has 3 comments

    Hi maangchi. I can only buy 볶음장 in my Asia store. Is there a difference?

  5. sajbarku addis ababa joined 1/16 & has 3 comments

    hi do u have homemade recipe for black bean paste? cause we don’t have Korean shops in our

  6. jiawen992 Malaysia joined 6/16 & has 2 comments

    Maangchi
    i just bought this.. and im not sure isn’t this is as same as chunjang for Jjajangmyeon


    See full size image

  7. Namiami wichita, ks joined 2/16 & has 1 comment

    I went to the Korean store close to me and they had black bean garlic sauce or black bean sauce powder, no black bean paste =\ I have one other place to try to see if they have it.

  8. Is hard to fine this paste in Malaysia,,, hmmm any suggestions?

  9. kfoodlove France joined 2/15 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi,

    I really love your youtube channel and your recipe .
    I would make my own black been paste, but
    i don’t know how do it. Can you explain me
    how make a black been paste, please !

    Regards.

  10. sh3ll Australia joined 3/13 & has 1 comment

    Hi I bought the powdered version of the sauce, since they ran out of the paste. Do you know how much I should use? Thanks

  11. daianafeijo Porto Alegre, Bras joined 5/12 & has 1 comment

    hi dear :)
    how can i do this chunjang? I can’t find to buy this in Brasil, so i’m looking for a way to do chunjang, and after jjajangmyeon :)

    thanks!!! :D

  12. ZatyAziz Malaysia joined 10/11 & has 2 comments

    hye,
    ^_^
    How to make blackbean paste???
    i wanna make it…

  13. Simi-ka Germany joined 9/11 & has 5 comments

    Can I make Black bean paste on myself somehow?

  14. nanuzhk joined 4/11 & has 1 comment

    I have a question, but first I should write that I absolutely loooove jja jang myung. I discovered the instant kind a while ago, and have since ordered it several times in asian food restaurants. But I just discovered that I am sensitive to gluten, and I am trying to avoid it as much as I can. I bought rice noodles (can’t think of the top of my head what kind they are but they were recommended to me) instead of the noodles used for the dish; but then I noticed that the bean paste I got also has wheat in it. So my question is: is there a brand of black bean paste that is gluten free?
    Thank you ;)

  15. HI!

    can you please tell me if there is other dishes you can use this for besides Jajangmyeon?

  16. MGTOB Chicago joined 2/10 & has 3 comments

    I made Jajangmyeon from your recipe last month (D’lish by the way) just curious how long the black bean paste will last in the refrigerator, or if I should freeze it.

  17. Hi! I’m going to try and make your Jja Jang Myun and was wondering if the Lee Kum brand black bean sauce is the same as using black bean paste. Are they the same thing? or should I find actual black bean “paste”? Thank you!!!

  18. does black bean paste have any non-halal ingredients????

  19. Jacqueline& has 2 comments

    Hi Maangchi,

    I bought one pack of Black bean paste from Korean grocery and the bean paste does not taste salty at all, it just smell fragrant, is it correct ? This is first time I buy Korean Black bean paste so I was quite surprised it is totally different from Chinese black bean paste which is quite salty. Is there a different version of Korean Black Bean paste in the market ?

    I followed your method in video and cook the Jia Jang Myuen, it tasted sweet, did I cook it correctly ? I’ve not tried the authendic Jia Jang Myuen before, so I’m not sure how it suppose to taste like.

  20. Does the brand you used contain any meat? I’d really like to make jjajangmyun, but I’m a vegetarian. Thanks!

  21. Gabrielle& has 2 comments

    Hello Ms. Hammer ^_^

    I made samsun jjajang bap using Haitai’s roasted black bean paste (sold in a jar), and the dish turned out salty. I was able to tone down the saltiness but not the slight bitterness of the sauce. Also, I didn’t add in starchy water to the sauce since it was already thick.

    My questions are:

    1. Does using roasted black bean paste make the sauce extra salty and slightly bitter?

    2. Maybe the roasted black bean sauce are meant for gahn jjajang instead (no need for water and starch)?

    Kamsahamnida, Maangchi-ssi!

  22. Apparently, this paste is made of soybeans, despite being black. One would have to boil the beans until they’re tender enough to be mashed into a dry paste (therefore, it’s necessary to drain the water before doing this). The paste is then sweetened with either sugar or honey, and a little bit of oil is added so it gets a little more creamy-looking. I don’t really understand how it turns black, but I think it’s because of some black food coloring substance.

    But this paste is made in different ways in different regions of Asia (South China, North China, etc.). Other ingredients are added (I read about “yellow oil”, flour, and other things) depending on the area. However, if you cannot buy it in a Korean food market (as in my case), I’d try to just do the sweet paste at home, out of soybeans. Or maybe black beans, so they’re black already.

    That’s just an opinion. :)

    • wildfoodgeek texas joined 2/12 & has 1 comment

      Asian sauces often use black soybeans. You can buy them from edenfoods.com. I use them to make dao-chi (fermented black beans) and soy sauce. You also will need some aspergillus oryzae, or koji, which I get from GEM cultures in Washington state. The first step is to soak the beans in water overnight. Then cook for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker until they are just tender, not to the stage you might consider edible, but no hardness inside the bean. Then strain and dump out onto a clean towel to cool and dry. Then sterilize some flour in a dry skillet until very hot to kill any yeasts and molds in the flour. Put the beans in a big bowl and toss with the flour. Then add the koji spores and put in some wide containers and then into a (Igloo) cooler. After two days, start taking the beans out every day and turn them. When they are coated with a Brie-like coating of white koji mold, put them into a crock. Cover them and weight them down. Then add water until covered by 1 inch of water. Then add 1/4 cup of pickling salt per quart of water and seal the crock. Allow to ferment for 4 months, then remove the beans and dry them. Save the water as it is a simple but very good soy sauce. I don’t know about the korean paste here, but would love to find out how it relates, if at all.

  23. Hi, is it alright to use sam jjang for jajangmyun recipe?

  24. Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

    Jim N Ga
    cool! ssamjang is good dipping sauce, right? Thank you!

    bECki,
    no black bean paste is called “choonjang” in Korean. Soy bean paste is called “doenjang” in Korean. They are totally different. Thank you for your question!

  25. is the black bean paste also called Soybean paste? because i went to a Chinese market called “house of rice” and they have the soybean paste. but im not sure if its the same as the black bean paste.

  26. I love the Chinese Black Bean dishes. I am looking forward to trying Jja Jang Myun. I have cooked Bulgogi and Galbi for years, but had never had them with ssam jang until I ate at a Korean Restaurant here in Atlanta. I went to a Super H Mart and picked up the Soybean paste and Hot Pepper paste and used your recipe to make ssam jang dipping sauce for my ribs on New Years. Thanks for the delicious addition to our meal.

  27. Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

    Jim N Ga,
    Thank you for good information about Chinese fermented black beans.
    Happy New Year!

  28. I have not tried the Korean Black Bean paste, but I am familiar with the Chinese Fermented Black Beans (also called Salted or Preserved…)

    Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douchi

    They are dried and fermented Black Beans, typically packed with salt. These are mixed with soy, garlic, etc to make a sauce or marinade. Usually not made into a paste, but will be mashed while making the sauce. Delicious used in making Black Bean SPresipbs(Dim Sum type dish) or ina stir fry with chicken and bell peppers or also stir fired with squid.

    • wan Singapore joined 1/10 & has 7 comments

      HI, the douchi is differently from the one for jajangmyun as it’s quite salty and may come in dry form, where individual beans can be seen. The best for making jajangmyun is the dark brown hoisin sause (different from the red variety) which is also made from douchi,but has slight sweetness. SOme shops sell them thinned with water- try to get the paste which is thicker instead of the sauce.Hope this helps.

  29. oh its my plesure actually you are the only one which i have to thank that you show so much nice vds and with details thnks so much

    and wish you a very very very Happy New year may this year will be 2 much lucky for you

  30. Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

    Nishu,
    oh, thank you very much. I am going to post the information on the forum then. Thanks a lot.

More comments to read! Jump to page: 1 2

Leave a Reply

You must create a profile and be logged in to post a comment.