Hi Beanies! I am posting my mom’s Jjajangmyeon recipe whose family operates a Chinese restaurant in Korean for generations. The pic is my attempt to make it mom’s way which is the “dry style” as opposed to the “wet jjajangmyeon” you see in restaurants. Mom’s “dry jjajangmyeon” is made with lots of added ingredients for more nutrition, so the look will be much more like ratatouille then the gooey sauce you see in dramas which is made with much more oil and starch.

The literal translation of “Jjajangmyeon” is fried(jja) sauce(jang) noodles(myeon). The sauce is made from “tian mian jang” (sweet bean paste) that is a staple in northern Chinese cuisine. My mom makes Jjajang sauce with a mixture of sweet bean sauce add miso so it won’t be as cloying sweet and contain the probiotic miso offers. The sauce takes a bit of patience to make since the it takes about an hour to simmer and you do need to check in every 5-10 minutes to make sure that it doesn’t dry out and get burned. This time and energy consuming process is important. Without the proper time to simmer the sauce does not taste the same. Of course there is always ready made Jjajang sauce sold at your Asian markets.

This is the brand my mom buys when she visits the US as you see in the 2nd pic posted:
https://www.amazon.com/SZECHUAN-Bean-Sauce-Sweet-Szechuan/dp/B0000D17MZ
If you visit a Korean market, you want to look for “chunjang” instead.

Please see recipe in the following thread
38
18

    My mom’s instructions to me reads like a mom’s recipe without exact measurement so I am doing my best to guestimate.

    Jjajang Sauce:
    Sweet Bean Paste, 16 oz
    Yellow Miso, 16 oz
    Cooking Oil, 3-4 tablespoons

    Jjajangmyeon:
    Diced Chicken breast, ground pork, or any protein you prefer
    Diced Onion
    Diced zucchini, cabbage, or whatever vegetable you prefer
    Thinly sliced cucumber
    Noodles, fresh if available

    Jjajang Sauce:
    1) Mix one 16 oz can of sweet bean paste (Tian Mian Jang) with equal portion of yellow miso (Shinshu Miso)
    2) Heat oil in pan with medium flame, add the sweet bean paste with equal portion of miso, and approximately a cup of water. Mix well. When you see steam coming from the sauce, turn the flame to the lowest setting possible. The sauce should not bubble.
    3) Stir the sauce every 5-10 minutes for around an hour. If it gets too dry, add a little water.

    When cooled the sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for weeks. This makes a easy weekday dinner when you are in the mood (meaning watching people eating Jjajangmyeon in dramas!)

    Jjajangmyeon:
    1) Lightly marinate protein with soy sauce and dash of mirin
    2) Boil Noodles
    2) Sautee the meat in a little oil and set aside
    3) Heat one tablespoon of oil in pan, add onion and cook for a couple minutes until half translucent
    4) Add vegetable and cook to al-dente
    pre-cooked protein to pan
    5) Add pre-cooked protein and Jjajang sauce to pan and mix well
    6) When noodles are cooked and drained, place them in big bowl
    7) Add sauce mixture on top of noodles and garnish with thinly sliced cucumber.
    8) When served, mix the noodles with sauce well in bowl

    Add a fried egg on top if it strikes your fancy! I love the slightly runny yolk mixed in to the noodles. Jjajangmyeon is also often eaten with a side of sliced raw onions and Korean pickled Daikon radish.

    15
    9

      Thanks! This looks really really good.

      2
      0

      Thank you. I’ll have to try this out next weekend.

      2
      0

      I totally feel you on mom’s recipes

      3
      0

      Thank you! This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.

      1
      0

      YAY! I tried making jjajangmyeon a while ago and it really wasn’t very good…this sounds perfect, thank you!

      1
      0

      This sounds great! Now all I need to do is figure out where to get sweet bean paste and yellow miso from…

      1
      0

      Thank you! I’ve been trying to cut back on eating out and looking for good recipes, so this is a very timely post! 🙂

      1
      0

      Thank you! I like the idea of having the sauce around for quick meals!

      1
      0

      I’ve no idea how I got here, but it looks wonderful!

      1
      0

    Thanks for sharing. It looks yummy 😋

    3
    0

    You’re amazing! Thank you! I’ve been wanting to make this for ages ~

    1
    1

    Thank you so much for sharing!! I’ll definitely be trying this out soon. And please give your mum hugs and a thank you for me. 😂

    1
    1

    ooooh thank u!!! (& your mom) me thinks it’ll be cool to start a beanie cooking club to showcase our imitations / (in your case legit versions) of k foods!!!

    1
    1

      Heck ya to a beanie cooking club!! I love to cook and I love eating even more. It would be pretty awesome to share and learn from each others!

      0
      0