A comforting high school favorite that is easier to make than it looks! Jjajangmyeon or Korean black bean noodles are Korean-Chinese noodles that are saucy, savory, and full of umami and flavor! This dish looks more intimidating to cook than it actually is and I've simplified it so you can make it too!
If you're looking for other comforting dishes, you have to try my miso egg drop soup and my lemongrass beef stew!
What is Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)?
Jjajangmyeon is a Korean-Chinese noodle dish that has been around since the 1900s but has recently become widely popular from TV shows and K-dramas. Jjajangmyeon translates to "fried sauce noodles" and it features thick wheat noodles smothered in a rich, dark sauce made from chunjang (Korean black bean paste).
Traditional Korean black bean noodles includes pork, and vegetables like onions, zucchini, potatoes, and sometimes cabbages, all simmered together in a thick and glossy black bean sauce. It's salty, savory, slightly sweet and incredibly comforting, like a deep black bean gravy over noodles. It is served on it's own but I've always eaten it alongside tangsuyuk, a crispy sweet and sour pork, and banchan like kimchi, pickled radish, and onions.
Why you'll love this Korean Black Bean Noodle Recipe
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Packed with vegetables
- Budget-friendly
- Customizable
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Jjajangmyeon noodles: Fresh wheat flour noodles work best!
- Black bean paste (chunjang): The star of the dish. Find them at asian supermarkets or grab is on Amazon!
- Onion: Yellow or sweet onion work great. Adds sweetness and body to the sauce.
- Zucchini: Traditional in jjajangmyeon and adds texture.
- Cabbage: Adds more veggies and slight crunch to the dish.
- Potato: Makes the sauce hearty while giving the dish a nice bite.
- Water: To simmer vegetables and create the slurry to thicken the sauce.
- Brown sugar: Adds sweetness to balance out the salty black bean paste.
- Oyster sauce: Adds umami depth and richness. Use mushroom oyster sauce if you're vegetarian.
- Salt: Season to taste to bring all the flavors together.
- Potato starch: Thickens the jjajangmyeon sauce while leaving a glossy finish.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)
- To a pan, add a tablespoon of neutral oil, onions, zucchini and potatoes. Sauté until slightly softened.
- To the middle of the pan, add a tablespoon of oil and the black bean paste. Sauté the black bean paste for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
- Add cabbage and 2 cups of water and cover. Bring to a gentle boil until potatoes are tender and cabbage has softened slightly, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and oyster sauce. Add salt to taste, starting with ½ a teaspoon.
- Thoroughly mix together 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of potato starch to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the pan and bring to a boil until thickened. Remove from heat once it has thickened slightly.
- Cook jjajangmyeon noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- To a bowl, add jjajangmyeon noodles and top with the black bean sauce. Give the noodles a toss in the sauce and enjoy hot!
Top tip
Don't skip frying the black bean paste. This removes the bitter taste and develops the flavor. Rinse noodles in cold water. This stops them from overcooking and removes excess starch.
FAQ
Raw black bean paste has a slightly bitter taste. Frying it in oil for a few minutes mellows out the taste and brings out the deep bean flavor, kind of like how we usually saute tomato paste before adding it to a pasta dish!
Potato starch is traditional and creates the best texture and a glossy finish. Cornstarch will work to thicken the sauce but the sauce may not be as smooth and shiny.
Other noodle dishes to try:
- Garlicky Vietnamese noodles
- Korean sweet potato noodles (Japchae)
- Vermicelli noodle bowl
- Lemongrass chicken bowl
Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)
Ingredients
- ½ onion diced
- 1 zucchini cubed
- ¼ cabbage diced
- 2 cups water
- 1 small russet potato cubed
- ½ cup black bean paste
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon oyster
- ½-1 teaspoon salt
- 8-10 oz jjajangmyeon or fresh wheat flour noodles
- Neutral oil
Slurry
- 2 tablespoon potato starch
- 2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- To a pan, add a tablespoon of neutral oil, onions, zucchini and potatoes. Sauté until slightly softened.
- To the middle of the pan, add a tablespoon of oil and the black bean paste. Sauté the black bean paste for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
- Add cabbage and 2 cups of water and cover. Bring to a gentle boil until potatoes are tender and cabbage has softened slightly, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and oyster sauce. Add salt to taste, starting with ½ a teaspoon.
- Thoroughly mix together 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of potato starch to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the pan and bring to a boil until thickened. Remove from heat once it has thickened slightly.
- Cook jjajangmyeon noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- To a bowl, add jjajangmyeon noodles and top with the black bean sauce. Give the noodles a toss in the sauce and enjoy hot!
Notes
- Don't skip frying the black bean paste. This removes the bitter taste and develops the flavor.
- Rinse noodles in cold water. This stops them from overcooking and removes excess starch.
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