Jajangmyeon

Jajangmyeon is one of the "national foods" of Korea. It originated from the Chinese dish zha jiang mian, literally meaning "fried sauce noodles." Korean-style jajangmyeon was first created about a century ago in a Chinese restaurant in Incheon, South Korea, where a large number of Chinese immigrants settled. It has been by far the most popular delivery food among Koreans because of its nostalgic taste and inexpensive price. I read that six million servings of jajangmyeon are sold everyday in South Korea. Instant versions are also very popular.

Here's how to make a restaurant style jajangmyeon at home.

Ingredients (4 servings):

4 tbsp black bean paste

Jajangmyeon noodles
2 tbsp potato starch, mixed with the same amount of water

1/2 lb pork belly

1/2 cabbage

2 onions

1 potato

1/2 zucchini

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (do not use olive oil or any other oil with a strong flavor)

1/4 cup sugar
1 small cucumber for garnish

Preparation:

Peel and cut the ingredients into bite size pieces.

Directions:

1. Heat up a wok or a large pan and throw in the pork, sautéing until crispy.

2. Add your veggies. When they're all cooked, remove them from the wok.

3. In the same wok, add the oil and fry the black bean paste for a few minutes. Overfrying will make it bitter. Stir in the potato starch mixture.

4. Add the pork, veggies, and sugar. Stir well and sauté for a few minutes.

5. Cook and drain the noodles.

6. Pour the sauce over the noodles. Garnish with grated cucumber.

Mix well with your chopsticks. Traditionally, jajangmyeon is best served with danmuji (yellow radish pickle). Enjoy!