Those of you who know the Chinese black bean noodle dish ‘Zhajiang mian’ ( 
) may look at this and think that it looks awfully familiar. And, in fact, you’d be right!
This, dear readers, is the Korean version of that well-known Chinese dish, with the almost exact name of ‘jja-jjang myun’ (
). While the two look quite similar, the ingredients and end flavours are somewhat different - but that tends to happen when one culture ‘adopts’ the dish of another and then recreates it to suite their own tastebuds!
The best way to describe this to the uninitiated is as the Korean equivalent of spaghetti bolognese. A thick, robust and flavoursome sauce with meat and veggies, carried by thick wheat noodles…its kinda similar, right? Well, that’s about as far as the similarities go, I’m afraid. This dish is pungent and salty, and one of the most common forms of ‘home-delivered fast food’ available in Korea. In fact, when you call to order a bowl of ‘jja-jjang myun’, not only will they deliver it piping hot to your front door, but it will also usually come with a few side dishes, all for a few dollars! And the added bonus? They even take the dishes away and clean them for you - no styrofoam or plastic to worry about, and you don’t even have to do the dishes!
Now, how’s that for value and service?
However, once you leave the homeland…well, its a little difficult to find this outside of a decent Korean restaurant, which means that the best option for anyone who is feeling just a little nostalgic for this dish is to just buckle down and make it themselves.
As for the problem of not having a recipe? There there, that’s what I’m here for, isn’t it? 
Now before we get to the recipe, I should probably warn you that this is something of an acquired taste - the sauce is quite strong and if you aren’t expecting the salty, garlicky assault then you’ll probably be in for a bit of a shock (especially if you’re expecting anything like a spag bol. Actually, that was probably a really bad reference…and I guess I could go back and delete it…but I won’t!). However, if you’re a lover of strong, savoury flavours, then this is a dish that you will most likely fall in love with!
Although over here in the Southern hemisphere, its a bit too hot these days to have such a hot, hearty, carb-loaded meal, those among you who are in the Northern end of the world and looking with foreboding towards the oncoming days of snow, sleet and blistering winds should bear this dish in mind. Winter is, as most will agree, the perfect time to indulge in a little carb-heavy naughtiness, and this dish may be a great addition to your repertoire, and a lovely change from all those thick vegetable soups and heavier European pasta dishes.
Oh, and a word of advice? If you do get around to serving this up, be sure to have a small pile of napkins on hand. Like a good spag bol, this sauce has a tendency to half-coat the eater’s face, so its probably not a bad way to allow your diners the chance to mop up the extras before they go out to brave the cold. Or, depending on just how much of a messy eater they were, they might even be able to use the napkin to save some sauce for later - hah!
Jja-jjang myun
(Wheat noodles in black bean sauce)
Ingredients (serves 6)
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/2 cup finely diced brown onion
1/2 cup finely diced cabbage
1/2 cup finely diced zucchini
1/2 cup finely diced potato
1 thin-skinned sweet cucumber, julienned (Lebanese cucumbers are my favourite!)
300g-400g lean pork, diced (we tend to use pork neck)
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup ‘jja jjang’ (Korean salty black bean paste - there is no substitute!)
1 cup water
1 tbsp corn or potato starch
Oil
Thick wheat noodles, such as udon noodles, to serve
1. Heat a little oil in a large pot over medium heat, then saute the pork with the garlic till cooked. Remove the pork, heat a little more oil in the pot then add the carrot and potato and saute till almost cooked. Add the remaining vegetables and the cooked pork to the pot and saute till cooked.
2. Add the ‘jja jjang’ (black bean sauce) to the pot and ‘cook’ it for about 3-5 minutes while constantly stirring, till it is quite fragrant and the veggies are evenly coated. Stir the corn/potato starch into the water, then pour this also into the pot and bring it to the boil while constantly stirring, then lower the heat to a simmer and leave for another 10-15mins, or till the sauce has nicely thickened up.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then boil your noodles as per the packet instructions. Once done, drain them well and divide into bowls. Pour a generous helping of the sauce over the top, then garnish with the sliced cucumber and serve with some sort of sweet pickle - traditionally, this is served with sliced sweet pickled daikon as an accompaniment, but as I’m a kimchi addict, I’m usually more than happy with that! 
4. Enjoy with much hearty slurping and sauce-flicking. Don’t be tempted to try and eat this in a dainty fashion - one of the marks of a well-enjoyed bowl of ‘jja jjang myun’ is to be seen with a sauce-covered smile, so just loosen your belt a notch and dig right in!
P.S. A final note - if you have sauce left over and no noodles, there’s an easy solution! Just serve it over rice for a just as delicious bowl of ‘jja jjang bap’! 
Technorati Tags: jja jjang myun, Korean cuisine, Chinese cuisine, cooking, food, recipes, Asian
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Comments
Susan wow. thanks for the recipe. i’m going to have to gear up to try this one out. i love jja jjang myun!
Cherry I’ve always wanted to know how to make this. Thanks so much! I’ve only had it at Korean restaurants or that instant ramen version.
Mandy Ellie, I really enjoy the series of korean recipes you posted. My grocery list keeps getting longer and longer! Not sure if my hubby is happy about it. LOL~
Anh Ellie, thanks so much for the recipe! This is one of my fav dishes!!! Have been looking for a proper recipe. Now I have it! 
Natalie Just stumbled upon your blog the other day. I’ve been looking for authentic Korean recipes in English - dh is half Korean but can’t read/write a word in Korean 
.
I really like your writing, recipes and beautiful photography! This is by far one of my favorite Korean dishes (I can’t live without Kimchi). Thanks for posting the recipe - can’t wait to give it a try!
pen and paper Mmmmmmm…jja jjang myun…
I used to visit my extended family in Seoul every summer and we’d order jja jjang myun delivery about every other week. For some reason it always seemed more glamorous than any other delivery food I’ve had. It came in a big metal box soldered to a dolly, with little shelves inside for all the condiments. Soooo delicious.
Ellie Yemek - My pleasure
Susan - Yay! Always happy to help out a fellow Korean food lover
Ann - Thanks hon
Cheery - My pleasure The instant ramen version isn’t bad, as far as instant noodles go, but it doesn’t compare to the real deal, and now you can make it at home!
Cristine - Its not a bad comfort food, hey? I hope that all the memories are good ones
Mandy - I have to admit that the sudden influx of Korean recipes are being done for a special reason that I hope I’ll be able to reveal soon (no, not a cookbook, I wish LOL!) And if hubby says anything, just tell him that he’s able to eat all your kitchen shenanigans, so he should be happy
Anh - My pleasure hon Hope you enjoy it!
Natalie - No worries I know quite a few Korean folks who can’t read/write, and even my ability there is a bit dismal (>_< ) I’m glad you enjoyed reading the site, and I hope you and your husband enjoy this dish if you get the chance to try it
P&P - Hehehe, and did you make sure to order tang siew yook with it? We always had to order them together when we ordered in
Lynn This looks really tasty! I wish I could get a delivery service to bring it to my door and then take away the dirty dishes. That sounds awesome!
Kat I think I saw this dish on a Korean soap opera once, looked delicious. Happy Belated Birthday!
Ellie Cindy - LOL! I hope that hunger was fulfilled
Lynn - Thanks hon And awesome service it is indeed, they know what they’re doing!
Kat - I can’t remember the name of it, but there was some Korean soapie that featured this dish heavily I think
barbara Gosh I go on holiday and everything changes. Love the new look. I feel like a bowl of this for dinner tonight but I’m too lazy to cook.
MyKitchenInHalfCups This is really interesting Ellie. This is sure something I’d love to try in a restaurant but I don’t see myself cooking it. So I guess I’ll just have to watch out for it! I think I’d love the salty garlic.
Ellie Bruno - Thanks hon And so do I, to be honest! Beats any other kind of delivered fast food you can get here :/
Susan - Ahh, the perfect response Slurping is definitely what you’d be doing - there’s no neat way to eat ‘em!
Barbara - Hehehe, it was due for an overhaul, glad you like the new look I know the feeling, dinner last night was leftover pizza (though it *was* homemade from lunch :P)
Tanna - Its probably better to try in a restaurant first, as its a lot of soup to have made to discover that its not quite to your tastes
Natalie 나타리
Now I just need to learn to hand throw the noodles like we watched them do in Korea. Fascinating. I don’t suppose you’ve tried that have you? If you have I’d love some tips.
Love your recipes, thank you for putting them up! We miss Korea very much.
Ellie Natalie - Unfortunately not, the only noodles I’ve ever made by hand are ‘kal guksu’ which I’ll be putting up (hopefully) this week Glad to hear that you enjoy the blog, I hope it brings back fond memories of Korea for you!
Ellie YY - Well, now that you have the recipe, you can just give it to whichever gal you want to marry 
Thanks for recipe