Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

I heart Maangchi! For any Korean food lover whom (who/whom? i never know how to use them properly) wishes to recreate one of your favorite Korean dishes, Maangchi's website is the place to go. Not only does she have great authentic recipes, but she also provides a video tutorial for every dish. And oh~ how i love her videos! She takes you through each step carefully and yet still captures the essence of Asian-ism with her blind (but accurate) measurements. It's quite a contrast from western cooking where everything is meticulously measured out beforehand. The truth is (okay, i'm speaking in general here), Asians never use measuring cups or spoons when cooking, it just comes naturally! If you don't believe me, just ask the mom of your closest Asian friend, she'll know what i'm talkin' about!

So here's Maangchi's recipe for Jajangmyeon (a.k.a Korean black bean noodles). For those who watch Korean TV dramas should be no stranger to Jajangmyeon-- it's the #1 takeout/delivery food on every show! There's always that scene where the flawless pretty boys (or girls) dive into a bowl of black goo followed by loud, slurping noises. LOOK: i even found this on the 1st page of google images just by searching for "jajangmyeon", LOL. Anyways, the thing about Jajangmyeon is, unless it's with close friends or family, I highly recommend NOT eating this infront of anyone you're trying to impress (i.e. first dates). But who knows, that guy/girl might just fall for your sloppy slurps and tarred mouth. And if they do, it will surely be true love ;)

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

from Maangchi at maangchi.com

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil
• 1/2 pound (220 grams) pork belly
• 7 tablespoons black bean paste
• 1 cup Asian radish, cut into half inch cubes
• 1 cup sweet potatoes or plain potatoes, cut into half inch cubes
• 1 cup zucchini, cut into half inch cubes
• 2 cups onion, diced
• 3 cups water
• 2 - 3 tablespoons potato starch powder
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cucumber sliced into thin strips, for garnish
• One bunch egg noodles

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the of pork into ½ inch (1cm) cubes. Leave the skin on.
2. Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil to a heated wok. When that’s hot, add the pork and stir fry it until it looks crispy.When the pork is well cooked and the color turns golden brown, drain all the hot fat and set the pork aside. Leave it in the wok for later use [picture 2].
   
   
3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat with 2 tbs of vegetable oil. When that’s hot, add 7 tbs of black bean paste and stir fry for 1 minute [picture 3, 4].
4. Remove the extra oil and set the black bean paste aside.
   
   
5. Reheat the crispy pork in your wok over high heat, and add 1 tbs of olive oil.
6. Add radish and sweet potato (or potato) and saute them for 2 minutes.
7. Then add zucchini and onion and saute them for another 2 minutes [picture 5].
8. Add 3 cups of water until all the ingredients are submerged, and close the lid and boil it for 15-20 minutes [picture 6].
9. Open the lid of the wok and skim off the foam from the surface. Add the fried black bean paste from the small skillet and stir it up [picture 7]. To check if ingredients are cooked or not, try a sample potato chunk. It should be cooked, not raw.
10. Mix 2-3 tbs potato starch powder (or corn starch) and 2 tbs water and add it into the boiling soup and stir it [picture 8]. then the soup ill turn into a sticky sauce.
11. Add 1 tbs sugar to the sauce and stir it.
    
    
12. Boil water in a big pot, add the noodles and close the lid. Cook for a few minutes according to the direction on the package [picture 9].
13. Try one sample noodle to check if it’s cooked properly or not. It should be soft and not stiff at all. If it’s cooked, drain the noodles and place them on a large plate or bowl.
14. Reheat the jjajang sauce and spread over the noodles.
15. Garnish with cucumber strips and serve it with kimchi or yellow pickled radish.

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)