Jiajangmyun (blackbean noodles)

Last night, we had the pleasure of experiencing the cooking skills of one of our good friends, Esther JuLee.  Esther is an incredible wedding photographer and loves trying out new recipes.  We were more than happy to bring over a couple bottles of wine and be her guinea pigs!

Esther made jia jang myun for us.  Jia Jang Myun is a Korean-Chinese noodle dish with black bean sauce.  It’s a common dish that many children in Korea eat when they are growing up.  It is the “the spaghetti and meatballs of Korea” (East Bay Express).  By the way, the dish turned out delicious!!

You can find the original recipe here at Maangchi.   Esther made a few changes to the recipe – you tend to be able to do that with Asian recipes.  Love it!

Ingredients – 4 servings:
- ½ lb. Noodles (special “myun” for jjajangmyun)
- 7 tablespoons black bean paste
- ½ lb. chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- olive oil
- vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon potato starch powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 cup chopped Asian radish
- 1 cup chopped sweet potato
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped cucumber

Let’s Cook!
1. Cut the chicken into ½ inch (1cm) cubes.
2. Cut all of the vegetables into ½ inch cubes.
3. Add  ½ tablespoon olive oil to a heated wok.  When the oil is hot, add the chicken and stir fry until cooked.
4. When the chicken is well cooked, set the chicken aside.
5. Heat a small skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add 7 tablespoons black bean paste and stir fry for 1 minute.
6. Remove the extra vegetable oil from the skillet and set the skillet aside.
7. Reheat the chicken in the wok over high heat, and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
8. Add radish and sweet potato and saute them for 2 minutes. Then add zucchini and onion and saute them for another 2 minutes.
9. Add 3 cups of water or until all the ingredients are submerged, and close the lid and boil for 15 minutes.
10. Add the fried black bean paste from the small skillet and stir.
11. Mix 2-3 tbs potato starch powder (or corn starch) and 2 tablespoons water and add it into the boiling soup and stir. The mixture will become a sticky sauce.  You may add less water if the mixture appears to be too runny.
12. Add 1 tablespoon sugar to the sauce and stir.
13. Turn the heat down to low, in order to keep the sauce warm while you cook the noodles.

14. Boil water in a large pot, add noodles and close the lid. Cook for a few minutes according to the directions on the package, which will be around 3 minutes.
15. When the noodles are done, they will be soft and somewhat sticky.
16. Drain the noodles and serve them in a large plate.
17. Spoon the black bean sauce over the noodles and serve
18. Enjoy!