Jajangmyeon
짜장면
Thick wheat noodles under a black-bean gravy of pork and fried chunjang — Korea's Chinese-restaurant hug.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 짜장면.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Jajangmyeon is Korean-Chinese, not a Beijing import on a plane. You fry chunjang in oil until the raw bitterness cooks off, then build a gravy with pork, onion and zucchini, and pour it over thick noodles. A little sugar is correct. It should be glossy and clingy, not watery soy.
Ingredients
- Wheat noodles400 g
- Chunjang74 ml
- Pork, diced shoulder250 g
- Onion, chunked2
- Zucchini, chunked1 small
- Potato, diced (optional)1 small
- Napa cabbage (optional)100 g
- Neutral oil44 ml
- Sugar15 ml
- Potato or corn starch, mixed with 3 tbsp water15 ml
- Water400 ml
- Cucumber, julienned, to finish¼
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Fry chunjang in 2 tbsp oil over medium heat 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it smells roasted and a little sweet. Scrape into a bowl.
3 minTip: This step is the difference between bitter paste and jajang.
Step 2
In the same pan, cook pork, then onion, zucchini and potato until they take colour. Return the paste, add water and sugar. Simmer 10 minutes.
12 minStep 3
Thicken with starch slurry until the gravy mounds on a spoon. Boil noodles, drain well, sauce generously, top with cucumber.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Pork → Diced mushrooms
Use a little more oil when frying the paste.
Tips
- A fried egg on top is a home flourish.
- Jaengban-jajang is the same gravy over a share platter of noodles.
History & culture
Black day (April 14) and 'I can't be bothered to cook' both belong to this bowl. Delivery culture in Korea is partly a jajangmyeon story.
Shandong-style noodles met Korean tastes in Incheon's Chinatown and then the whole peninsula. The sweet-dark gravy is local.
Regional variation
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: KFoodaddict via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jajangmyeon%20by%20KFoodaddict.jpg
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Jajangmyeon take?
45 min all in — 20 min prep, 25 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 3 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Soy. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Wok, Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list a salt amount. We will not invent one.
How much sugar?
1 tbsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Pork → Diced mushrooms. Use a little more oil when frying the paste.
Any tips from this recipe?
A fried egg on top is a home flourish. Jaengban-jajang is the same gravy over a share platter of noodles.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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