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Noodles with blackbean sauce

Jjajangmyeon 짜장면

Hello hello everybody! : )

I’m re-introducing jjajangmyeon recipe (noodles in black bean sauce) to you today with a new, updated video. I originally uploaded a video showing you how to make jjajangmyeon in 2007, not long after I started posting to YouTube. Yes, it was 5 years ago! Time flies too fast!

That video was so popular that I decided to make a new version that’s easier to follow, and also shows you how to make jjajangbap with rice instead of noodles.

Jjajangmyeon is everybody’s favorite food. It’s actually a very popular Korean Chinese dish, created by early Chinese immigrants in Korea, catering to Korean tastes. Tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) is another example. The almost caramel taste of the savory black bean sauce over the thick, chewy wheat flour noodles makes for a really unique taste and texture. When I was young, a plate of jjajangmyeon from a Chinese restaurant always made me excited. When you order it delivered they bring you the noodles in a special tin box in under 30 minutes! I usually ended up covered in jjajang sauce and my mom had to give me a Kleenex.

Koreans even have a nonofficial celebration for jjm on April 14th, when single people celebrate their shared loneliness on Black Day with a bowl of jjajangmyeon.

Enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients for  2-3 servings

  • jjajangmyeon noodles
  • ½ pound pork belly, cut into ½ inch cubes (about 1½ cups’ worth)
  • 1 cup of Korean radish (or daikon), cut into ½ inch cubes (about 1 cup’s worth)
  • 1 cup of zucchini, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 cup of potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1½ cups of onion chunks
  • 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup and 1 tablespoon of chunjang (Korean black bean paste)
  • 2 tablespoons of potato starch powder, combined with ¼ cup water and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl, set aside
  • 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
  • ½ cup cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks for garnish
  • water

Directions for making jjajang sauce

  1. Stir-fry the pork belly in a large, deep wok (or pan) with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for about 4-5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
  2. Pour out the excess pork fat.
  3. Add radish and stir fry for 1 minute.
  4. Add potato, onion, and zucchini and keep stirring for about 3 minutes until the potato looks a little translucent.
  5. Clear a space in the center of the wok by pushing the ingredients to the edges.
  6. Add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil to the center of the wok, then add ¼ cup of black bean paste and stir it with a wooden spoon for 1 minute to fry it. Then mix everything in the wok and keep stirring.
  7. Add  2 cups of water to the wok and let it simmer and cook with the lid closed for about 10 minutes.
  8. Open the lid and taste a sample of the radish and potato. If they’re fully cooked, stir in the starch water little by little. Keep stirring until it’s well mixed and thick.
  9. Add the sesame oil and remove from the heat.
    jjajangmyeon
  10. Serve with noodles (jjajangmyeon) or steamed rice (jjajangbap).

Make jjajangmyeon

Noodles for jjajangmyeon can be found at Korean grocery stores. The noodles are thick and chewy.

  1. Boil the noodles in a large pot and drain. Rinse and strain in cold water.
  2. Put one serving of noodles onto a serving plate and add the jjajang sauce over top. Garnish with cucumber strips and serve immediately with kimchi or yellow pickled radish.

Make jjajangbap

  1. Make one serving of rice, and add the jjajang sauce over top.
  2. Garnish with cucumber strips on top of the jjajang sauce and serve it with kimchi or yellow pickled radish.

Posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007. Last updated on January 5, 2023.
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731 Comments:

  1. Nayko france joined 10/18 & has 34 comments
    Posted August 11th, 2020 at 6:13 am | or create a profile.

    Last night, despite of the heat wave, I had a craving for jjajangmyeon and I felt lucky when I realized that I had enough ingredients in the fridge to do it from scratch: zucchini + sweet potatoe + onion + SMOKED SAUSAGE !! this one made the sauce so good !
    I use to do it with pork belly because it’s the only cut that is suitable for the recipe according to me… Chunjang is so savory that some cuts of pork meat can appear bland in comparison.
    So , pork belly for me and now I know that smoked sausages are an alternative.
    I love jjajangmyeon!

  2. MaangchiLove Montreal, Toronto joined 8/19 & has 53 comments
    Posted June 20th, 2020 at 2:53 pm | or create a profile.

    Yum


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  3. Jamie Ong South Australia joined 4/20 & has 2 comments
    Posted May 17th, 2020 at 3:29 am | or create a profile.

    I cooked this a couple of days ago. My first time ever trying this as well as cooking it. It was a little adventurous to cook something I’ve never eaten before! But no regrets! It was so so so delicious!! My family loves it! It’s my new favorite too! Your steps & tips are always so easy to follow! Thank you, Maangchi!


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  4. WishfulsoUl Oslo joined 3/20 & has 17 comments
    Posted April 17th, 2020 at 6:05 pm | or create a profile.

    I have always been curious about the taste of this dish and to my surprise? I loved it hahahha…. made a success try out for me again with this one :) I saved alot of your recipes Maangchi that maybe by the time you will see all these posts from me has just minutes difference from one to another hahhaha. Just decided to post everything I’ve tried since am still awake past midnight here right now :)


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  5. Pndcolo Colorful Colorado joined 8/19 & has 1 comment
    Posted August 22nd, 2019 at 8:21 pm | or create a profile.

    Love your recipes!! I have been following your recipes since January 2019. I share with Chinese friends and they say it is delicious too! Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing!!!

  6. gettinjjigaewithit Maryland joined 8/19 & has 2 comments
    Posted August 10th, 2019 at 9:29 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi!

    I have a wheat allergy and I would like to make the sauce for Jajangmyeon at home. I have preserved black beans and can grind them, but I noted on a youtube video from Korea that jjajang powder was used. I have been unable to find jjanjang flour/powder online. Wondering, is jjanjang flour the same as black bean powder – which seems lighter in color than the final Jajangmyeon sauce. And/or could you recommend a wheat free black bean paste? I’ve dug around and can’t really find one.

    Thanks so much! Jessica

  7. San198 Birmingham, Al joined 1/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted November 3rd, 2018 at 5:33 pm | or create a profile.

    What type of noodles do I buy?

  8. Faith Makarewicz Phoenix, AZ joined 7/17 & has 3 comments
    Posted October 14th, 2018 at 8:25 pm | or create a profile.

    Well this came out okay, I couldn’t find black bean baste in the Asian grocery store nearby. There’s one Korean store but it’s too far so I couldn’t find the black bean paste at the store i went and I bought black bean sauce instead.


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  9. Faith Makarewicz Phoenix, AZ joined 7/17 & has 3 comments
    Posted October 12th, 2018 at 7:13 pm | or create a profile.

    Can I still make kalguksu noodles for jjajangmyeon if I can’t find jjajangmyeon noodles?

  10. Ineke inajo Indonesia joined 8/18 & has 1 comment
    Posted August 2nd, 2018 at 6:22 am | or create a profile.

    Thank you maangchi


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  11. shimeringstars McKees Rocks joined 6/17 & has 13 comments
    Posted July 30th, 2018 at 4:38 pm | or create a profile.

    Maangchi I was wondering if there is a substitute for the pork. My friend can not eat it, but wants to try jjajangmyeon so do you have any suggestions?

  12. Kookiebun Australia joined 6/18 & has 3 comments
    Posted June 28th, 2018 at 6:34 am | or create a profile.

    I forgot to upload a picture! It was very nice!! Will be making again. I found it made about 4 servings and as I couldn’t find the korean noodles here in Australia I used Udon which was also very good! I also added cabbage and a little less onion than what you said. Was very yum! Will have again.


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  13. Kookiebun Australia joined 6/18 & has 3 comments
    Posted June 28th, 2018 at 6:32 am | or create a profile.

    I made it! Very yum!!! Really enjoyed it thank you for his recipie! I added cabbage as well and skipped the radish.

  14. KoreanFooodlover Philippines joined 7/17 & has 5 comments
    Posted June 12th, 2018 at 12:18 am | or create a profile.

    hi maangchi, i hope you can help me with this. can i use this type of black bean paste for jjajangmyeon, if yes, how can i use it? is it the same on the jjajangmyeon you made? please reply i will be waiting i cannot find black bean paste like you Used in this video


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  15. Vo Nguyen Duy An viet nam joined 4/18 & has 2 comments
    Posted May 31st, 2018 at 12:34 am | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi! I made a Jiajangmyeon yesterday and today I want to show you my baby. Oh my god I have eaten 2 both jjajangmyeon and jjajangbap. I love this so much!!! thank you Maangchi <3


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