JjaJangMyeon (짜장면) is the most popular Korean style Chinese food in Korea. This is made of mainly black bean paste, meat, and different kinds of vegetables. In Korea, you can easily order JaJangMyeon (Black bean paste noodles) from the Chinese restaurants. Then they will deliver the food to your house only for 3 or 4 dollars without any tipping. Typically, Korean style Chinese restaurants serve JaJangMyeon with Yellow Pickled Radish (DanMuJi), radish kimchi (KkakDuGi), and raw onion with black bean paste, which you will use to make this recipe. Dip the onion into the black bean paste when you eat JaJangMyeon. Garnish with cucumber or peas. Cucumber tastes especially good with this JaJangMyeon.
Yield: 4 Servings
Short Korean Lesson
- JaJangBap (자장밥) = Black bean paste with rice
- JaJangMyeon (자장면) = Black bean paste with noodles.
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- 2 Cups Onion
- 2 Cups Potato
- 1 Cup Zucchini
- 1 Cup Cabbage
- Thick Noodles for JaJangMyun
- 1½ Tbsp Cooking Oil
Meat Ingredients
- 1 Cup Beef or Pork
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Wine
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1 Pinch Black Pepper
Sauce Ingredients
- ½ Cup Black Bean Paste
- 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 2 Cups Water
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
Directions
Cut 1 cup worth of beef or pork into half-inch pieces. Add 1 Tbsp of cooking wine, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 pinch of black pepper to the meat. Mix it together, and then set it aside while you are preparing other ingredients.
Dice 2 cups worth of potato, onion, and a 1 cup worth of zucchini into half-inch pieces. Cut 1 cup worth of cabbage into ½-inch squares.
In another oiled (1½ Tbsp Cooking Oil) and heated pan, fry the potato for about 3 minutes on medium-high or until it is half cooked. Then, add the onion and the cabbage to the potato. Fry for another 3 minutes or until they are half cooked.
Lastly, add the zucchini and fry about 4 minutes or until all of the vegetables are cooked.
Fry the meat until it has completely cooked.
To make the sauce, start with 2 Tbsp of cooking oil in a heated pan. Then add ½ cup of of black bean paste to the oil. Fry it until it becomes soft. Add 2 tsp of sugar to the black bean paste. The sugar helps to remove the bitter taste from the black bean paste.
After all of the vegetables are cooked, add the meat and the fried black bean paste. Mix everything together.
Add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch in 2 cups of water. Mix it together thoroughly. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the pan.
Boil until the sauce becomes thicker.
Serve the black bean paste sauce over cooked rice or noodles.
The first time I had black bean paste was in Korean black bean noodles. The taste is unique, and to be honest, I did not like it much. Do not worry though; it is an acquired taste. After eating it a couple times, not only do I like it now, but I sometimes crave it. So, I recommend people try it a couple times before they decide if they like it or not.
Hi, honey~~
That’s interesting.. Since I’ve eating jajangmyun for a long time, I’ve never thought of it. then do you remember that one of my youtube subscriber told me same thing as you said.. He didn’t like it much at first..then ate left over again .. the more he eats..the more he likes it..hehe.. good point, honey~~ thanks !!
My wife has been bugging me to cook jajangmyun for sometime now ever since she saw it in one of those korean soap operas. But I didn’t have the recipe. Thanks for sharing. I hope she will like this one. What type of noodles should I buy?
Hi, jhny69
Oh~~~ you are very sweet husband who cooks for wife.. hehe I also hope she will like this recipe. I was going to take pictures and post them also since it only has a video now…then didn’t get the chance to do it..sorry about that.. noodles.. I will post the link..check the ingredients again please.. thanks ~~ 😉
Thanks aeris!
Hi, jhny69
You are more than welcome..
by the way..my name is “AERI” not aeris.. hehe..thanks !!! 🙂
hehehe! sorry just noticed it right now that I misspelled your name.. im sorry…
Hi, jhny69
hehe..it’s really okay..
many people confuse my name..and call me..”aeris”… I think it’s because of the youtube channel and my blog name “aeriskitchen”.. Now you know my name.. thanks !!!
Aeri,
Can you use Napa (Korean) cabbage in this recipe?
Hi, fredaj20
I will say… to use.. cabbage not napa cabbage.. because.. I worry that the napa cabbage will give it too much moisture in it. Thanks !!
We go to Korean restaurants once or twice a month just to eat this noodle and always wished we could make it at home. Thanks for the recipe and easy to follow instructions. Sauce came out just great!
Hi, cruiser
Nice to meet you !!!
I’m very very happy to hear that you liked this recipe.. thanks !!! 🙂
hi..
you know how to make the noodles..
im not sure whether its the same name.. but in the show ” YooHee The Witch” the boy’s family open this shop that sell the black noodle.
i heard them saying jajangmian. so im not sue whether is this one or not. is it this 1? cause its not in noodle form :X
Hi, Suet yi
Yes, it’s same thing with the one you are looking for. Usually, we eat it with noodles as you saw..but if you make this sauce at home.. we eat it with rice too. I have the ingredient link for the noodles…so you can check it out. thanks 🙂
I tried cooking this for the first time today and it came out surprisingly well! The recipe worked perfectly, thank you for sharing it ^^
I think I made too much though; do you think it will be okay to keep it in the fridge for a few hours (until dinner time)?
Hi Lee,
Oh~~~ I’m happy to hear that it turned out great.. hehe about your question… of course you can keep the sauce in the refrigerator… actually.. several days.. just have fresh cooked rice or noodles when you eat it. thanks 🙂
I love LOVE Jajamyun. So I am excited to try this recipe! My friend is coming over but is a vegetarian, do you think it would taste good with shrimp?
Hi joy,
Nice to meet you !!!
Oh..about your question.. if my knowledge about vegetarian is right…. they don’t eat seafood.. so I don’t think you can use shrimp for your friend. ^^:;
Have you tried this dish with shrimp instead of pork or beef? I want to make it for my friend but she is vegetarian. And I love Jajangmyun! Thank you for sharing!
Hi joy,
It’s me again.. yes there is jajangmyun with seafood in Korea. but as I mentioned in other reply.. since your friend is a vegetarian, she will not eat seafood either. I think you can just skip meat for this.. or use firm tofu (not soft) or mushroom instead of meat for her. thanks !!
hehe, I accidently posted twice the other day, because I didn’t see it on your website.
I’m not sure what kind of vegetarian my friend is, but she does eat seafood, just not red meat, pork, chicken. So I will try it with shrimp and maybe some crab this weekend! Thanks!!
Hi joy,
hehe.. aha.. so some vegetarians eat seafood ??? I got it. ^^ I hope she likes your jajangmyun. Thanks 🙂
she is not a vegetarian.. she would be what you call a Pescetarian, which is someone who does not eat other meat, but does eat fish and seafood. fish and seafood are not plants, are not vegetables, fruits, grains or mushrooms.. they are meat, are sold in the meat department and have a central nervous system, like other animals and people. lol hope your friend liked your jajangmyun, though! 🙂 aeri’s recipe looks so delicious, you couldn’t go wrong by making it!!!! lol 🙂
hi, aeri..
i’ve been searching for black bean paste all day, in our local supermarkets but i couldn’t find any..
🙁
can i use soy bean paste instead of black bean paste?..but i think the taste will be not similar with the original jajangmyun..
hi mimisalle,
I’m sorry to hear that you can’t find the black bean paste. I don’t think that soy bean paste will work for jajangmyun. sorry..
Hi Aeri,
It’s me Gigi again. I just cooked jajangmyun using ur recipe, and it taste sooo good (Jincha Mashita) 🙂 I am so happy for it, my whole family enjoyed it so much. Thank u once again for the recipe 🙂
hi Gigi,
haha..jincha mashita… cute !!! 🙂
Happy to hear that your family enjoyed it.. thanks 🙂
Hi Aeri! where can i get the black bean paste and tteok from? i want to try tteokboggi and jajangmyun.
Hi Carol,
You can find them in a Korean or Asian grocery store.. sorry for late reply.. I missed your comment. @.@
I’ve made your jajangmyun a couple times now and it’s wonderful each time!
Hi Samantha,
oh.. great.. thanks 😀
Hi Aeri, I just wanted to say thanks for the recipe. I must have eaten JaJangMyun a couple of hundred times at very good Korean restaurants. I made JaJangMyun using your recipe yesterday and it was as good as any I have tasted.
That is a compliment to your recipe, not my cooking 🙂
Thanks,
-mike
hi MikeF,
Yes, that’s real compliment..thank you very much. 😀
Hello, Aeri-ssi.
I have been long looking for a black bean paste as I am a great fan a jajangmyun. I even asked Koreans living here about it, but it turned out it isn’t being sold in my city (I am from Moscow). Do you think there is a way I can make jajang myself using dry black beans? Or is it too complicated to make at home?
Oh, and I am being impolite. Thank you very much for all
sorry, my hand slipped ^^
thank you very much for all the recipes you post here, it’s such a pleasure to cook according to them!
hi hemilya,
hehe.. no worries… thanks
hi hemilya-ssi ^^
Nice to meet you.
Oh.. sorry but.. I’ve never made the sauce at home.. so don’t know how to make it..and not sure if anybody makes it at home in Korea.. you don’t have any Korean or Asian store around you ??? sorry for this answer..
There are a couple of stores selling Korean goods and also one, quite bit, that spesialises on Japanese groceries. The former sells red pepper paste, soybean paste, different kinds of marinades, but no chunjang T___T
Well, it seems like I have to options left: eat it in the restaurants or buy the instant version…)
hi hemilya,
Oh… sometimes I have similar problem to find some of Korean ingredients around here… ㅜ.ㅜ
hi..can i use blended salted black beans instead??and thank you for posting this recipe!!!
hi ayumi,
Sorry.. I don’t know what you mean by.. blended salted black beans.. you buy that ?? or you mean..just black bean ??
its canned black beans (but salted)..i get it from the store..but right now i am looking everywhere for the black bean paste…
hi ayumi,
This black bean paste is specially made for this dish.it’s fermented one.. I researched it for you.. hmart in USA sell this.. here is a link for you.
http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_newsub.asp?p=8801007053721
Hi ^_^
Thank you for this wonderful dish♥♥ (짜장면) I have tasted in some Korean restaurant it’s was delicious ^_^ but I want to ask as I searched for Black Bean Paste, but did not find it ㅠ_ㅠ, may I ask for its components.?!I Can make it from black bean.?! and how.?!
hi shoog,
Oh.. sorry.. you need to buy the special paste from a store.. thank you for your comment.
I made this recipe this weekend — I’ve only ever had the Chapagetti brand “instant” jajangmyun, which I like but was much more unhealthy. Your jajangmyun recipe is delicious! I only had somyeon in my pantry, and I was worried the noodles would be too thin, but it tastes great.
hi Anna M,
Yes, the post important part for this dish is the sauce.. that’s why you can use both rice and noodles for it. I’m happy you liked it.. thanks 🙂
Hi! I’ve seen jjangmyun in korean dramas so I was really intrigued by it and am planning to make it tomorrow. I already bought the black bean paste and the noodles. However, the package of the noodles doesn’t have any instructions in English. So how do I cook it? Hope you could help. Thanks!
Hi Cristybutit79,
Here is a link for you.. I posted an ingredient post for the noodles, and it will tell how to cook the noodles. I hope you like my recipe. thanks
http://aeriskitchen.com/2009/03/thick-noodles-%EC%9A%B0%EB%8F%99-%EC%A7%9C%EC%9E%A5-%EB%A9%B4/
Is it ok to replace the zucchini with carrots since I don’t eat them? 😛
hi JinA,
haha.. zucchini tastes good.. why you don’t eat them.. =P jk.. yep.. you can use carrot instead.. ^^
Hi. thanks so much for the recipes. I visit Korea several times per year for work and I love Ja Jang Myung there in “chinese” noodle shops. These noodles are totally different in China. 😉 I wonder though, the noodles I eat are usually spicy with pepper and garlic and with some seafood. Is this difference because I visit Masan and Busan mostly or is your recipe for more American tastes? ❓
hi Laura,
There are different kinds of jajangmyun.. maybe you tried seafood jajangmyun.. or some other food.. it had broth ?? or the name was jajangmyun ?? ^^ My recipe is typical jajangmyun that koreans make at home.. it’s slightly different from restaurant ones..but it still taste good. ^^
Hi Aeri,
I have only had this dish in Korean restaurnts, not in someone ones home, maybe that is the difference. I made you recipe, it was quite good, but as I suppected not spicy and so I added some red paste and some shrimp and honghop in the last minutes to make it more like the dish I eat in Masan. Everything in that noodle shop is spicy. One comment to others, it is important to use all the oil Aeri includes, if you dont it is hard to get a nice rich sauce consisitancy and the noodles ate sticky with sauce rather than sliding nicely when twirled on your chopsticks.
I will make it again. I would love to have a fresh radish gimchi recipe(no pepper)for serving with spicy chichen dishes. Do you have one? ❓
hi Laura,
Aha.. you mean.. when you order fried chicken.. the white pickled radish they give you ??? I will post it someday.. thanks 🙂
Hi,
I watched your ja ja myun video and also the video where your baby is choosing contest winners. He is soooo cute and reminds me of me when I was little (I’m half Korean). I love your site! I love your recipes and can’t wait to try ja ja myun tonight!! Thank you!
hi Angela,
^^ Thanks for your comment. Nice to meet you. 🙂
hi aerie, this is such a great recipe. 😀
since i was using the black bean powder, i tried to fried it with oil on the low medium heat but it got thicker and thicker, and almost burn.. what should i do? 🙁
hi tiffany,
Oh.. sorry.. I’ve never seen and tried black bean powder before.. what is it.. it’s for jajang myun ??
i think its for rice too. it’s the brand from curry powder..
hi tiffany,
aha.. I got it.. sorry.. I didn’t think of that.. maybe because I’ve never used it before. I thought they only have powder for curry..but instant black bean paste thing.. you can prepare in 3 minutes something like that.. already made..you just heat the package and pour in your rice that one.. they have powder too ?? anyway.. I want to tell you… if you can find.. try paste for this recipe.. or follow instruction for the powder.. then the taste will be better..thanks 🙂
haha thank you.. its kind of hard to find it here because there is no asian store near my school ><
hi tiffany,
Oops… that’s sad. But maybe you can find some other Korean food that you can find ingredients easily over there on my blog. 😉
Hello ^^ i tried it today but failed ;( it was another recipz thought, but almost same and by another korean… Difference was olive oil instead of normal and fried paste put AFTER water ;( i want to ask : you said this is home version, can you tell me how differrently should i do to make korean restaurant jajangmyeon? Whats the typical one? 🙂
hi Lalala,
As I mentioned in my recipe, I think… if you fry the black bean paste with oil and sugar…it reduce the bitter flavor from the black bean paste.. so how don’t you try my recipe someday..and see if you like it better than the one recipe you failed before. I think.. korean restaurant jajangmyeon use pork fat (oil) to fry everything.. and that makes the taste different..and I think..that will be less healthy.. and I’m not sure..but maybe they add some artificial seasoning.. like MSG ?? it’s my guessing..but not sure.. but i know they fry vegetables and the black bean paste with pork fat..and that makes the flavor really good. ^^
Is it supposed to taste very sweet (cause of sugar..)? Maybe i can’t just like it then, as i don’t like too sweet things most of the time.. Hehe! Thanks 🙂
hi Lalala,
A little sweet but not very sweet.. ^^ thanks
Hi Aeri. I was able to eat at a korean diner last week and i ordered chajang. is it the same as jajangmyun?hehe
woahh! I love jjajangmyeon! you have a GREAT blog here! gonna try some of your recipes! 😀
hello Dear Aeri
wow its great but I have some problem with this beef (pork)…because im muslum…
Can I make jajangmyun with other version of beef like Mutton or chiken????
I like korean food
please help me
thank you
hi danoosh,
sorry.. I don’t know much about your religion.. can you eat pork (pig meat) ? if you can..use pork.. it’s the original meat they use for this dish in Korea. ^^ if you can’t eat that either.. then use meat you can eat.
Beef is cow meat, so it’s fine. But pork is pig, which is not ok.
I got it ^^ Thanks for your explanation .
Hi aeri~ ^^
i’d like to try this jajangmyun recipe..but i think i wanna make it spicier ..so,should i put red pepper powder or something into it?if it is yes,when should i put it in?
waiting your responce soon..thank u aeri ^_^
Hi aeriiii 😀 kekekek
i made this jjajangbab..it’s soooooo good ^^v
thanks for the recipe,hehe
how if i wanna make it spicy?
hi Ranie,
It is not a spicy food..but some people add hot pepper powder to it. I’ve never done that before.. hehe.. or you can eat this with spicy kimchi .. 😉 thanks
i ate it with spaghetti pasta..and once i ate it,i put indonesian hot pepper sauce..the taste is amazing!! 😛
maybe i will put hot pepper sauce every time i eat it,hehe~
aeri, you are one hot ticket for doing this website! I have just discovered it because a Chowhound linked it to my thread on jajangmyun about my attempt to find an excellent version here in boston. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/809540
I have the hardest time believing that the sauce is this simple, because it has a layered complexity of favor- for me.(maybe that’s the effect of roasted soybeans instead of the chinese fermented black beans that one normally thinks of when they hear ‘black beans’ in asian cooking.) You don’t use chicken stock instead of water? and no scallions or ginger? Does packaged black bean paste contain MSG or hydrolized yeast extract?
Two comments: *your knife technique is admirable! but i do hope you will change your potato chopping technique; you need to have a flat side down always, of any vegetable, before you beging slicing, so cut off a little slice of the rounded potato to make it flat, or halve it, and place it cut-side down, like you do your cabbage. and * do you usually do this in a wok? it seems that the char possible in a wok- would add a lot of good flavor to the dish.
Thanks again, arie; what you have created here is so very helpful!
best,
mindy
hi mindy,
I’m very happy to meet you. Thanks for your comment. I can see that you are good at cooking. About your question.. the black bean noodles I made is.. korean style chinese food.. so it’s different from original chinese food. When I checked my black bean paste ..it didn’t have MSG in it.. ^^ please give me more feedback about my cooking in the future.. thanks
Hi there, thank you so much for this recipe. I have tried to find delicious Jajangmyeon ever since seeing it eaten in “Coffee Prince.”
Now I’d like to try your recipe – do you have a recommendation for the noodle?
Thank you!
Whoops – never mind, I saw the hyperlink – thank you again Aeri!
hi Emily,
You are welcome..thanks 🙂
Hi Aeri Unni~ ♥
I love love love jjajangmyung and I always crave it. The closet place for me to get it is about an hour away and obviously I can’t make that trip very often. ㅠㅠ I was so excited to see your recipe so I gave it a shot and it didn’t turn out very good.. I’m not sure why. Maybe I didn’t fry the paste long enough or add enough sugar? Or maybe that’s how it is supposed to taste and the ones I’ve had are just very different? I’m not sure.. what do you think?
Thank You~~
♥Shannon
hi Shannon,
Homemade jajangmyeon is actually a little different from the restaurant ones.. because.. they cook it in very high temperature (they have special stove and wok..)..and they use MSG to make it more tasty.. those two things can be the biggest different.. ^^ Many people in Korea.. just like the homemade flavor one too..even it’s not quite same with the restaurant one.. thanks
Hi..I made my first black bean paste noodles and I dojo war i was missing but even after frying black bean paste it still tasted bitter QnQ I don’t know why that happen? Did i burn the paste?
It was so awful and before I try it again and follow the ingrident from above, what do I need to improve to make it less bitter and make it awesome jjajang like yours 😀
thanks
hi Serena
Yes, black bean paste itself is bitter.. it needs some touch.. 😉 I enjoyed reading your fun experiment with it. hehe thanks
I love your food! I’d like to ask for some advice.
How can I make good Jjangmyun without the meat?
My friend is a vegetarian.
hi Chiyumi,
The meat fat is one important flavor in jajangmyeon.. but since your friend doesn’t eat meat.. I think you just have to skip it.. maybe replace the meat with some mushroom or firm tofu.. ^^
Hi Aeris eonni. I just want to ask. Is the jjajang udon noodles the same as saengmyeon? It says kalguksu in the label. If its not, can i still use it for jjajangmyeon? 🙂
hi Louie,
Yes, it is not same the same thing.the kalguksu is soup noodles.. .but you can still use it for jajangmyeon if you want… thanks
Why are raw white onions eaten with Korean/Chinese cuisine? commonly dipped in black bean sauce? What’s the purpose or history of this?
hi Yale,
In my opinion, I think it’s because … when you eat jajangmyeon, it is kind of greasy and it makes you want to try something for it.. the raw onion and black bean sauce really gives good flavor and remove some of the greasy feeling you get from your jajangmyeon.. I think that’s why people eat it. thanks
Hi Aeri,
I have been a long-time fan of your recipes and today I tried this recipe to make 자장면 at home for the 1st time and it’s really delicious!
Just wanna say thank you for sharing and I will always come back for more recipes! 🙂
hi Juliana,
That’s wonderful. Yes, please come back for more recipes and talk to me. hehe.. thanks