Jajangmyeon: The Chinese noodle in Korean style

For those who like pasta, more precisely noodles, you should know jajangmyeon (자장면) or jjajangmyeon (짜장면), a noodle that originated in China but has Korean adaptations. It is usually topped with a thick chunjang sauce, cubed pork, and vegetables.

The dish originated in Incheon, South Korea, where Chinese workers started the process to make zhajiangmian, which is basically a fried bean sauce, in the late 19th century. What differentiates the flavor in the Korean version is the darker and sweeter sauce. There are also people who prefer to use seafood or other types of meat. After all, cuisine allows for many adaptations according to individual tastes!

History of jajangmyeon

Jajangmyeon arrived in Korea through migrants from Shandong province in China. During this period, there was competition between Qing (last imperial dynasty of China) and the Japanese. But jajangmyeon was only offered for the first time in 1905 at a Chinese restaurant in Incheon Chinatown called Gonghwachun ( 공화춘 ;共和春). Currently, the restaurant no longer exists, but it became the Jajangmyeon Museum.

The original sauce introduced by China is a light brown with a saltier flavor. Later, Korean chefs added caramel to sweeten it, as well as the use of grains to make it darker.

Around the 1950s in South Korea, jajangmyeon began to be sold at a much lower price so that more people could access it. The dish started to attract the attention of visitors and merchants in Incheon, and the result was national popularization.

Origin of the name

Basically, in Eastern culture, every name comes with some story, especially regarding food. Jajang (자장) is of Chinese origin zhájiàng (炸酱), which literally means “fried sauce,” and Myeon ( 면 ) means “noodle.”

The Chinese characters are pronounced as jak ( 작 ;炸) and jang ( 장 ;醬) in Korean. However, the correct name is jajangmyeon, due to its origin not being Sino-Korean, but rather a conversion of the Chinese pronunciation. Despite this, most restaurants use the spelling: jjajangmyeon, because the Chinese pronunciation zhá sounded like jja instead of “ja” to Koreans.

Until August 22, 2011, the National Institute of the Korean Language did not recognize the word jjajangmyeon as an accepted idiomatic transliteration.

Characteristics

To make jajangmyeon, a thicker noodle is used, either homemade or machine-pulled. For this dough, wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and water are used. The sauce is made with chunjang (soybean paste) fried with soy sauce or oyster sauce; meat (pork or beef); seafood (squid or shrimp); green onion; ginger and garlic; various vegetables; broth and starch paste.

The dish is commonly served with cucumber, green onion, a runny yolk fried egg, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp, or slices of fried bamboo shoots. It can also be topped with radish, raw onion, and chunjang sauce (for dipping the onions) on top of the finished jajangmyeon.

Learn how to make jajangmyeon

Recipe from https://www.receiteria.com.br/

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of udon noodles
• Neutral oil
• 150 grams of jajang
• 400 grams of cubed pork loin (can be another tender pork cut or beef)
• 2 medium onions chopped into cubes
• 1/4 of cabbage cut into cubes
• 1 zucchini cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in a little water
• 4 eggs
• 1 Japanese cucumber cut into thin strips

Preparation method:

1. In a pan, heat the oil and sauté the jajang, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
2. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan, sauté the meat, onion, and cabbage, stirring continuously.
4. Return the paste to the pan, add water, lower the heat, mix well, cover, and let it simmer to finish cooking the ingredients.
5. Add the zucchini and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add the dissolved cornstarch, mix, and stir until thickened.
7. Turn off the heat and set aside.
8. In another large pot, boil plenty of water.
9. Add the noodles and let them cook.
10. If it foams too much, add 1/3 cup of cold water.
11. When it reaches the desired point, turn off the heat and drain the water.
12. Assemble by placing the noodles in a deep plate. On top, the sauce, a fried egg with a runny yolk, and the cucumber.
13. Now just serve. Enjoy your meal.

Did you already know this type of noodle? Are you eager to try it?