Vegetarian Korean Black Bean Noodles Jiajangmyeon

I had heard a lot about these Korean noodles, so I decided to try to do a vegetarian version.

Recipe adapted from Maangchi’s Big Book of korean cooking

servings: 2-4

Ingredients:

For the sauce

  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil

  • 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces

  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) black bean paste (chunjang)

  • 1 large onion, cut into bite-size pieces

  • 6 oz (170g) cabbage, cut into bite-size pieces

  • 2 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) cubes

  • 1 small zucchini or pepper, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) cubes

  • 1 tsp sugar

  • 2-3 cups (450-700ml) water

For the noodles

  • 2 bunches (510g) jjajangmyeon noodles

  • 2 Tbsp of potato starch powder

  • 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil

Preparation:

  1. Make the sauce: Heat the vegetable oil in small, heavy pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add the scallions. Fry until crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Strain the oil into a bowl. Discard the fried scallions. you will get about 5 tablespoons oil.

  2. Head 3 tablespoons of the infused oil in the same skillet for 1 minute. add the black bean paste and stire quickly with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute, until fragrant. remove from heat.

  3. heat the remaining 2 tablespoons infused oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. add the onion, cabbage, potato, zucchini or pepper. cook, STIRRING, for 5 minutes, or until all the vegetables look sofr and the cabbage turns a little translucent.

  4. push the vegetables to the edges of the pan, leaving a little oil in the CENTER. add the Fried black bean paste to the center. add the sugar and stir for another minute.

  5. reduce the heat to medium, begin by adding cups (450ml) of water and stir. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until bubbling broth is very flavorful and vegetables are cooked through. if broth looks dry add more water. remove the pan from the heat.

  6. Bring large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. put the noodles on a cutting board. uncoil and spread them apart with your hands. add them to the boiling water and sitr with a wooden spoon. cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the water starts to boil over. uncover, stir, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are cooked through. drain the noodles. rinse them under cold running water, rubbing them with both hands to remove the excess starch. drain again.

  7. combine potato starch with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water in a bowl and mix well with a spoon.

  8. reheat the sauce over high heat until bubbling. stir the potato starch slurry with a spoon and slowly add to the sauce, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens and becomes shiny.

  9. add the noodles and sesame oil. stir with the wooden spoon for about 1 minute, until the sauce is bubbling. transfer the noodles and sauce to a large platter and serve right away. give everybody a bowl or plate and let them serve themselves using tongs.

fullsizeoutput_5dab.jpeg
fullsizeoutput_5dae.jpeg
fullsizeoutput_5db1.jpeg
fullsizeoutput_5db9.jpeg

This was good but it did not live up to the hip, however as I did the vegetarian version maybe you do that pork belly and seafood to add to the richness of the dish. I was trying to make a vegetarian version but the taste wasn’t strong enough, i tried to then add a bit more of the black bean paste and salt. it helped a bit but the taste was still very one DIMENSIONAL. I guess sometimes vegetarian versions don’t work without really adjusting the seasoning, which I will have to figure out next. but the next time i will make the original recipe and hope that the meat and seafood really makes the difference and elevates the dish so that i can really understand what everyone is talking about.

cooking, koreanJackie Wongblack bean, noodles, jiajangmyeonComment