This Korean-style Jjajangmyeon features wheat noodles with a thick, savoury black bean sauce loaded with vegetables and diced pork.

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The first time I learned about Jjajangmyeon, I was watching a Korean drama series where the protagonist was portrayed enjoying this dish.

What is Jjajangmyeon?

Jjajangmyeon is a Korean dish with Chinese roots.

"Jjajang" translates to "fried sauce," and "myeon" is "noodles."

It contains thick wheat noodles with a fried black bean sauce, originating from the Chinese zhajiangmian 炸酱面, which is a Northern Chinese noodle dish with sauce and ground pork.

Why you'll love this recipe

This recipe comes together really easily, perfect for a weeknight meal.

You can adapt the Jjajangmyeon with whatever vegetables or protein you like.

It's a hearty dish with minimal ingredients that will fill you up.

Swap the noodles with rice and change it to Jjajangbap.

Ingredients you'll need

wheat noodles: you can use any thick, chewy wheat noodles; fresh or dried
vegetable oil: for frying up the pork and vegetables
black bean paste: chunjang, also known as tianmianjiang in Chinese is a sweet, smooth, dark paste made with fermented wheat flour and soy bean; you can find it in Asian/Korean grocery stores; if you can't find it, you can substitute with hoisin sauce in a pinch
pork: cubed; you can use pork chop or pork belly
white onion: diced
potato: diced
water: or vegetable stock
potato starch: to thicken up the sauce
sesame oil: adds a little aroma and flavour to the sauce

Toppings (optional):

cucumber: thinly sliced
hard boiled egg
yellow pickled radish: danmuji
green onions
sesame seeds

You can find these ingredients in Asian supermarkets.

How to make it

Heat a large pot or wok over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Add in the black bean paste and fry until aromatic, a few minutes.

Transfer the paste to a bowl and add in the remaining oil.

Add in the onions and stir fry for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Next, add in the cubed pork and cooked until almost cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.

Add in the zucchini, diced potato, and fried black bean paste.

Stir to coat everything with the paste.

Pour in about ½ C of water/stock, or enough to cover the veggies and pork and bring to a boil.

Cover with a lid and lower to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes have softened, about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, mix potato starch with cold water in a small bowl to a make slurry.

Pour the starch slurry into the mixture and stir.

Bring it up to a boil, and check the consistency. It will thicken -- if it's too thick, thin it out with additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Once the sauce is thickened to your liking, remove from heat.

Add in a drizzle of sesame oil and serve the sauce with cooked wheat noodles.

How to serve & store

It's best to prepare the noodles for Jjajangmyeon just prior to serving.

Pour the sauce over the noodles, add sliced cucumbers and give everything a mix before enjoying.

Store the noodles separately from the black bean sauce, in airtight containers in the fridge.

The sauce can be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge.

Instead of noodles, serve the black bean sauce with rice for a change. This is known as Jjajangbap.

Other recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Korean Bibimbap (Mixed Rice)

Kimchi Fried Rice

Turkey Mapo Tofu

Budae Jiggae (Korean Army Stew)

Pork Mazesoba Ramen Noodles

Pizza Hotteok

Korean Strawberry Milk (Easy No Cook)

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!

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5 from 5 votes