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This jjajangmyeon recipe turns thick wheat noodles and a glossy Korean black bean sauce into one deeply savory bowl. You cube pork belly, cook it down with zucchini, potato, and onion, then stir in fried chunjang and thicken everything with a potato starch slurry. It is ready in about 40 minutes, no takeout required.
Some nights the only thing that fixes a long day is a bowl of something dark, glossy, and savory. For me that bowl is Korean black bean noodles. I love the way the sauce clings to every strand, and making it at home means I get to pile on extra of those cool, crunchy cucumber strips (my favorite part).
I’ve made this more times than I can count, and the one thing that took me a few tries to get right is the sauce, which I’ll walk you through below. If you love thick, chewy noodles, my Spicy Potato Noodles hit a similar note, but this one brings that rich, restaurant-style depth you get from a Korean Chinese spot.
What does jjajangmyeon taste like?
Jjajangmyeon tastes deeply savory with a gentle sweetness and an almost smoky depth from the fermented black bean paste. The sauce is thick and glossy, the noodles are thick and chewy, and the raw cucumber on top adds a cool, crisp bite that cuts the richness. It lands in the same savory-sweet lane as homemade bulgogi, just darker and noodlier.
How do you pronounce jjajangmyeon?
You say it “jja-jang-myun,” with a punchy double-j sound at the front. You’ll also see it written jajangmyeon or jjajangmyun, and a lot of people just shorten the craving to “jjajang.” However you spell it, you’re talking about the same noodles in black bean sauce.
What makes this black bean noodle recipe so good
The magic is chunjang, a Korean black bean paste made from fermented soybeans. Jjajangmyeon actually started as a Korean Chinese dish, adapted from the Chinese zhajiangmian, and Korea made it its own with a darker, sweeter sauce. Frying that paste in rendered pork fat is the move that transforms it from bitter and raw into something rich and rounded.
Pork belly keeps the whole bowl luxurious, while the potato and onion melt down and quietly sweeten the sauce. For the real-deal technique, Maangchi’s classic jjajangmyeon is a great rabbit hole. Serve it with something tangy on the side, like Kimchi Fried Rice Waffles, and you have a full spread.
Tips for making the best jjajangmyeon
1. Fry the chunjang before adding water
This is the single most important step. Stir the black bean paste into the pork and vegetables and let it cook for a full minute. Raw chunjang tastes bitter, and frying it mellows it into that signature savory-sweet flavor. My Korean Kitchen has a good explainer on working with chunjang if you want to go deeper.
2. Cube everything the same size
Cut the pork, zucchini, potato, and onion into even 1/2-inch pieces so they finish cooking at the same time and every bite has a little of everything.
3. Add the starch slurry slowly
Whisk the potato starch into water first, then stream it into the simmering sauce a little at a time. Stop when the sauce is glossy and coats the back of a spoon. You can always add more, but you can’t un-thicken it.
4. Rinse the noodles in cold water
After boiling, drain the noodles and rinse them under cold water. This washes off the surface starch and keeps them springy and chewy instead of gummy. If you want more thick-noodle recipes, my Rice Paper Noodles are a fun gluten-free spin.
5. Do not skip the raw cucumber
It looks like a garnish, but the cool, crunchy cucumber is doing real work, cutting through the rich sauce so the bowl never feels heavy.
Storage and leftovers
Store the black bean sauce and noodles separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. The noodles soak up sauce and soften over time, so keeping them apart means leftovers reheat much closer to fresh. Warm the sauce in a pan with a splash of water, boil fresh noodles if you can, and add the cucumber right before eating. The sauce also freezes well for up to 2 months, which makes a fast weeknight bowl later. A jammy Mayak Egg or a scoop of Cheesy Ramen Fried Rice rounds it out if you’re feeding a crowd.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 oz Jjajangmyeon Noodles (thick udon or fresh ramen noodles work in a pinch)
- 1/2 lb pork belly, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (pork shoulder or ground pork also work)
- 1 cup zucchini, cubed
- 1 cup potato, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup Black Bean Paste (chunjang)
- 2 tbsp Potato Starch (corn starch works too)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp toasted Sesame Oil
- 1/2 cup cucumber, cut into thin strips
- 2 cups water, plus 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp water for the slurry
- 1 tbsp neutral oil, for cooking
Instructions
- Prep everything. Cut the pork belly, zucchini, potato, and onion into 1/2-inch cubes so they cook evenly.
- Brown the pork. Oil a large pot over medium heat and cook the pork belly until golden, then drain off the excess fat.
- Add the vegetables. Stir in the zucchini, potato, and onion and cook about 3 minutes, until the potato turns slightly translucent at the edges.
- Fry the chunjang. Add the Black Bean Paste and stir constantly for a minute so it coats everything and loses its raw, bitter edge.
- Simmer. Pour in 2 cups water, stir, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Make the slurry. Meanwhile, whisk the Potato Starch and sugar into 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp water. Slice the cucumber into thin strips.
- Thicken. Uncover and add the slurry a little at a time, stirring, until the sauce is glossy and coats a spoon. Stir in the toasted Sesame Oil and pull it off the heat.
- Boil the noodles. Cook the Jjajangmyeon Noodles about 3 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water so they stay springy.
- Plate. Pile the noodles in a bowl, spoon the black bean sauce over the top, and finish with the cucumber strips.
If you make this jjajangmyeon, come back and leave a star rating on the recipe card below. Drop a comment too and let me know how your sauce turned out, I read every one.
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Jjajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
This jjajangmyeon recipe layers thick, chewy noodles with a rich Korean black bean sauce of pork belly, zucchini, potato, onion, and fried chunjang, finished with cool cucumber strips.
Ingredients
- 10 oz Jjajangmyeon Noodles
- 1/2 lb pork belly (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
- 1 cup zucchini (1/2-inch cubes)
- 1 cup potato (1/2-inch cubes)
- 1 1/2 cups onion (chopped)
- 1/4 cup Black Bean Paste (chunjang)
- 2 tbsp Potato Starch
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp toasted Sesame Oil
- 1/2 cup cucumber (cut into thin strips)
- 2 cups water (for the sauce), plus 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp water (for the slurry)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (for cooking)
Equipment
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Prep everything. Cut the pork belly, zucchini, potato, and onion into 1/2-inch cubes so they cook evenly.
- Brown the pork. Oil a large pot over medium heat and cook the pork belly until golden, then drain off the excess fat.
- Add the vegetables. Stir in the zucchini, potato, and onion and cook about 3 minutes, until the potato turns slightly translucent at the edges.
- Fry the chunjang. Add the Black Bean Paste and stir constantly for a minute so it coats everything and loses its raw, bitter edge.
- Simmer. Pour in 2 cups water, stir, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Make the slurry. Meanwhile, whisk the Potato Starch and sugar into 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp water. Slice the cucumber into thin strips.
- Thicken. Uncover and add the slurry a little at a time, stirring, until the sauce is glossy and coats a spoon. Stir in the toasted Sesame Oil and pull it off the heat.
- Boil the noodles. Cook the Jjajangmyeon Noodles about 3 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water so they stay springy.
- Plate. Pile the noodles in a bowl, spoon the black bean sauce over the top, and finish with the cucumber strips.
Notes
- Fry the chunjang for a full minute before adding water. Store-bought black bean paste tastes bitter raw, and frying it in the pork fat is what makes the sauce rich and sweet.
- Add the potato starch slurry slowly. You can always add more to thicken, but you cannot thin it back out once it sets.
- Rinse the boiled noodles in cold water to wash off surface starch and keep them chewy instead of gummy.
- No pork belly? Diced pork shoulder or even ground pork works. Keep a little fat in the pan for flavor.
- Double the sauce and freeze half. It reheats into a fast weeknight bowl with fresh noodles.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Korean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 720 kcal
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 1100mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 72g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 60mg