Let me show you how to make the best halal Jjajangmyeon aka Korean black bean noodles.
Jjajangmyeon is a popular Korean noodle dish with thick chewy noodles, covered with a rich black bean sauce made of meat and veggies. It's so comforting and delicious!
If you like this recipe, check out these Korean Fried Chicken Wings, these Cheesy Korean Corn Dogs and these delicious Korean Pancakes (Hotteok) filled with a gooey, syrupy mixture of sugar and nuts!
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What makes this different?
Traditional Korean Jjajangmyeon is made with pork belly. It's a fatty cut of meat and the fat contributes to a lot of the flavour. The black bean paste is fried in the fat rendered from the pork belly and that flavour carries on throughout the dish.
A lot of people like myself, don't eat pork so I'm sharing a different version of the dish for you guys! I didn't want to simply switch out the protein and leave it at that. I used the skin on the chicken to render its fat and use that to fry the black bean paste. It adds so much more flavour, instead of just using cooking oil.
Ingredients
See recipe card BELOW for measurements!
- Zucchini
- Yellow onion
- Daikon
- Cremini mushrooms
- Chicken thighs
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Rice vinegar
- Chicken stock
- Black bean paste - called Chunjang and I'm using the non fried version. If you use the fried version, you can skip the frying step.
- Cornstarch
- Brown sugar
- Water
Instructions
This recipe is pretty simple to make once you have all the ingredients so let's get started.
- Marinate the chicken with salt, black pepper and rice vinegar, and set aside.
- Heat a large pan or wok on low and add the chicken skin and fat. Continue cooking on low heat to render the fat. Flip and cook on all sides until crispy and golden brown. Remove the chicken skin and set aside. Turn the heat up to medium.
- Add the black bean paste to the chicken fat as well as the brown sugar and fry for 5 minutes, while stirring. Remove from oil once fragrant.
- Cook the chicken in the same pan for a few minutes on each side until it develops colour and is golden brown. Add in the zucchini, daikon, onions and mushrooms, stir and cook for about 10 minutes until softened.
- Stir the fried black bean paste into the vegetables until all combined. Add the chicken stock, stir and let simmer for around 10 minutes, covered.
- Take off the lid and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened.
- Boil noodles according to package instructions and place in serving plate. Add the jjajang sauce on top of the noodles. Top with the julienned cucumbers, pickled radish or any topping you like! Enjoy!
Hint: Have the crispy chicken skin with a sprinkle of salt, it's so good!
Storage
Once the sauce has cooled down, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-5 days. Boil the noodles when ready to serve so they're fresh.
If you have boiled noodles leftover, store them separately instead of mixing with the sauce. Mix together when ready to serve.
Top tips to make Jjajangmyeon
- Frying the black bean paste: If you have the fried version, you can skip the frying step. If not, the frying helps get rid of the bitter taste.
- Thickening the sauce: If the sauce doesn't seem thick enough for you, you can add a little more of the cornstarch slurry and cook for a bit longer. Make sure not to add too much in one go, add a little bit at a time.
FAQ
Of course! However, there will be a change in flavour because the chicken fat adds an extra level of flavour throughout the sauce.
Yes you can. If using a different protein, keep in mind you may need to increase or decrease cooking times depending on the meat.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Jjajangmyeon
Ingredients
- ½ medium zucchini diced (6oz)
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup diced daikon (5oz)
- ⅓ cup chopped cremini mushrooms
- ½ lb chicken thighs chopped small and skin removed to render fat
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup black bean paste (chunjang) (75g) If you use the fried version, you can skip the frying step
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon water
- jjajangmyeon noodles
- sliced cucumber
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the salt, black pepper and rice vinegar to the chicken and mix until all coated and set aside.½ lb chicken thighs, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- Heat a large pan or wok on low and add the chicken skin and fat. Continue cooking on low heat to render the fat. Flip and cook on all sides until crispy and golden brown. Remove the chicken skin and set aside.
- Turn up the heat to medium. Add the black bean paste to the chicken fat and brown sugar and fry for 5 minutes, while stirring. Remove from oil once fragrant.¼ cup black bean paste (chunjang) (75g), 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Add the chicken to the same pan and let cook for a few minutes, untouched. Once it develops colour, stir and cook for a few more minutes until all golden brown.
- Add in the zucchini, daikon, onions and mushrooms, stir and cook for about 10 minutes until softened.½ medium zucchini, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 cup diced daikon, ⅓ cup chopped cremini mushrooms
- Stir the fried black bean paste into the vegetables until all combined.
- Add the chicken stock, stir and let simmer for around 10 minutes, covered.1 cup chicken stock
- Take off the lid and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened.1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ½ tablespoon water
- Boil noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse. Place in serving plate.jjajangmyeon noodles
- Add the jjajang sauce on top of the noodles. Top with the julienned cucumbers, pickled radish or any topping you like!sliced cucumber
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