I remember eating this dish all the time when I was younger. It was my brother and I's must-order dish at any restaurant that offers it, and it gets a harsh critique from us. There use to be this place near my house that made Jajang Myun/Mien. Man~ It was THE best. The sauce was such a dark brown that it looked black. It wasn't oily. It wasn't deathly salty. Nor was it sugary. The noodles were had that perfect bite to it. It was an indescribable perfect... dish. Haha. But sadly, the restaurant closed. Since then, my brother and I scour the Bay Area for any place that can match up to our childhood memory... only to come out empty and unsatisfied.
It wasn't until more or less recently, my friend recommended for me to check out the site Maangchi, a little Korean recipe blog that exploded in popularity. There, I found the recipe for Jajang Myun, but its the Korean version. Still, I was excited! But for me, I grew up eating the Chinese version of Janjang myun/mien. (Still excited!) So, I took up the challenge. I told myself that I will recreate that Jajang Myun/mien that I knew when I was little. So the first time I made it, it was for my brother's birthday... and he loved it (but said it still needed some adjustments). XD So after about... 3 - 4 more times of making JaJang Mein... I'm getting there, but I've earned my family's seal of yum-approved to share with everyone.
Don't get me wrong, both versions are great. I only used Maagchi's recipe as the foundation of MY noodle dish. I think it you can really alter the ingredients to your liking, but do try both if you have the time. I find it fairly easy, just many individual steps to conquer, but its worth it. XD
Sorry for the bad quality, it was taken on my cell phone. XD
Ingredients
Sauce:
2-3 zucchinis, cubed
1 onion, cubed
1-2 blocks tofu cutlets, cubed
1/2-1 lb. ground pork
7-8 tbsp black bean paste (I use the brand Haechandeul)
2-3 tbsp oil (I just used olive oil)
2-3 cups of water
1-2 tbsp cornstarch
1 large clove garlice, minced (reserve 1/2 for cooking pork, 1/2 for cooking veggies)
salt (optional)
Everything else:
2-3 bunch thick noodles
1/2 seedless cucumber, julienned for garnish
How-To
- In a large pan, on high heat, add a touch of oil to lightly coat, brown garlic, and cook the ground pork. (Be sure to cook throughly!)
- Place cooked pork into a bowl and set aside.
- Same pan, add 2-3 tbsp of oil, and add black bean sauce. Cook for 1 minute, just to soften the paste. Scoop out into a bowl and set aside.
- In another pot, boil noodles for about 5-7 minutes or as instructed on the package.
- Wash out pan to reuse, on high heat, add a touch of oil to brown the rest of the reserved garlic. Cook onions until tender. Add zucchinis and tofu, and cook for a few minutes. Add cooked pork. Remember to give it a stir. Add 2-3 cups of water into the veggie mix, cover, and let cook for 15-20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add 1-2 tbsp cornstarch and 2-3 tbsp water, mix and set aside.
- Strain out noodles after cooking and run under cool water to stop cooking.
- Back to vegetable mix, after 15-20 minutes, add black bean paste, and mix to dissolve.
- Slowly stream in cornstarch mix into the big pan, stir constantly... DO NOT STOP! (or it will chunkify!) Remember to taste, and add salt to your liking.
- Grab a bunch of noodles, scoop yourself a heap of the black bean sauce, top with julienned cucumbers, and enjoy!
Wah~ so long. (=A=) But it is so tasty. Other serving suggestions is add a fried egg, sunny-side egg, chili paste... sky's the limit. XD ENJOY!
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