← Nouns Cooking · Korean

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp Chunjang (Korean black bean paste)
• 5 tbsp Vegetable oil, divided
• 250 g pork shoulder, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1 tsp Ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp rice wine or mirin
• 2 large onions, diced
• 200 g green cabbage, diced
• 1 Courgette (zucchini), diced
• 1 Potato, peeled and diced small (optional)
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce (optional)
• 360 ml chicken stock or water
• 1 tbsp cornflour or potato starch
• 3 tbsp Water
• 700 g fresh jajangmyeon or udon noodles
• ½ Cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks

Method

1. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the chunjang and fry, stirring constantly, for 3 min until it smells nutty and looks loose and shiny. Tip it into a bowl, keeping the oil with it.
2. Toss the pork with the ginger and rice wine. Heat the remaining oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat and stir-fry the pork for 3–4 min until browned.
3. Add the onions and potato and stir-fry for 5 min, until the onion turns translucent. Add the cabbage and courgette and cook for 3 min more.
4. Stir in the fried chunjang, sugar and oyster sauce so everything is coated, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 min, until the vegetables are soft.
5. Mix the cornflour with the water, stir it into the sauce and simmer for 1 minute until thick and glossy. Taste and add a little more sugar if it is too salty.
6. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in plenty of boiling water following the packet, then drain and rinse briefly under hot water.
7. Divide the noodles between bowls, ladle the sauce over and top with cucumber. Mix it all up well before eating, with pickled radish or kimchi on the side.

Tips

• Chunjang (Korean black bean paste) is not the same as Chinese black bean sauce; buy the Korean jar or pouch, and fry it first or it tastes bitter.
• Contains wheat and soy. For a vegetarian version, use mushrooms and vegetable stock and skip the oyster sauce.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Korean Bapsang Kimchimari Beyond Kimchee