A Year To Learn Korean Cooking: Jajangmyeon

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Today, let’s learn about cooking jajangmyeon at home! This popular Korean/Chinese dish will be perfect for the whole family.

About the South of Seoul ‘A Year to Learn Korean Cooking’ Series

Many of us live in South Korea for only a year. The time flies past faster than we can imagine. At South of Seoul, we decided to create a simple series that will offer 2-4 dishes to learn each month so that when you leave South Korea you have a slew of new dishes you feel comfortable making anywhere.

This series is a collaboration with Kimchi Rednecks. In 2020 they created the first blog in this series Online Resources for Learning to Cook Korean Food. These two love to have adventures in the kitchen and share the results with their community. Be sure to follow Kimchi Rednecks on YouTube for other great videos about living life in South Korea.

About Jajangmyeon

Jajangmyeon 자장면 (or jjajangmyeon 짜장면) a noodle dish topped with a rich and thick black bean sauce comprised of diced pork, vegetables and chunjang (Korean black bean paste). Often referred to as noodles in black bean sauce, this dish is a huge part of the Korean Chinese food culture, along with jjampong (spicy seafood soup) and tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork).

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The dish first became known in Korea at a Chinese restaurant, Gonghwachun, in Incheon’s Chinatown back in 1905. Run by an immigrant from China, the restaurant became the home of the Jajangmyeon Museum today. The term jajang (자장 or 짜장) means “fried sauce” and Myeon (면) means noodles. It is not uncommon to see it spelled as jajangmyeon or jjajangmyeon.

Tangsuyuk, Jjampong, Jajangmyeon and Jajangbap

The dish started with a very earthy flavor and over time Korea has added a bit of sweetness to it. Depending upon the location you get jajangmyeon, the flavor profile varies.

This dish is also often featured in many popular Korean dramas. Also, there is a holiday in Korea known as Black Day (April 14). On this day, single people get together to enjoy a meal of jajangmyeon to empathize with each other over their lack of a romantic relationship.

Biggest Hurdle Making Jajangmyeon

Jajang Sauce Gets Its Deep Rich Color from Chunjang Paste

Chunjang paste is the essential ingredient for jajangmyeon. Fermented soybeans, flour and caramel comprise this rich black bean paste. The biggest challenge when making jajangmyeon is the bitter flavor in the chunjang. Therefore, frying the paste in a small amount of oil and sugar helps to bring about the savory flavor and reduce bitterness. In additon, some cooks use plum extract or honey to bring out a bit of sweetness instead of sugar.

This dish packs a great deal of umami to it. It is incredibly easy to find this dish in restaurants or have it delivered to your door in Korea. However, there are also many instant versions of jajangmyeon on the market as well to make it quick and easy.

Ready to cook your own? Watch these four versions of jajangmyeon and then make one of your own!

Korean American Jajangmyeon

Korean Jajangmyeon

Americans in Korea Jajangmyeon

Let Us Know How It Turns Out

When you make jajangmyeon for the first time at home, be sure to leave a comment and let us know how it went! If you are looking for other dishes (Korean or otherwise) or reviews of restaurants, be sure to check out the KimchiRednecks channel or check out our social media accounts on Facebook or Instagram, where we often share what we are cooking or eating.

Read more in our Year to Learn Korean Cooking Series

A year to learn Korean cooking