s h i n s h i n e

Jajangmyeon (짜장면; Noodles with Black Bean Sauce)

It's an odd time to talk about jajangmyeon, in mid-November when everything is about Thanksgiving dishes.  Yet we just eat normal, simple food that nourishes us and comforts us until that one big day.  Aren't we all tired of hearing one more great idea for the Thanksgiving table anyway (which, I might still try to sneak in at the last minute ^_^)?

So I've decided to talk about jajangmyeon today, because I think I can eat jajangmyeon every day, any time of the year.  The oddity of this dish is that it's one the most common people's food, yet at the same time, one of the most celebrated dishes so many associate with special occasions from their childhood.  I sometimes wish I could survive on jajangmyeon.  Ok, maybe I'll go back and forth between jajangmyeon and tteokbokgi (떡볶이; rice cake in spicy sauce).  Like so many other Koreans, it's comfort food I don't want to grow out of.

I found a comprehensive, entertaining article on jajangmyeon from Essen (에쎈), a Korean food magazine, back in April.  You can see the full article in Korean here ("한국인의 소울 푸드, 자장면 예찬," - Koreans' Soul Food, Praise for Jajangmyeon).  Much of the information on jajangmyeon here comes from that article, unless otherwise noted. 

Jajangmyeon started as 'jakjang myeon' (Korean pronounciation of Chinese Zha Ziang Mian) which means 'noodles with fried sauce.'  It started at the dock of Incheon, a port city near Seoul (you may be more familiar with it as where ICN is located, the gateway airport to Korea).  In the late 1800's to early 1900's, during the period of active trade with the Qing Dynasty, dock workers loading and unloading trade articles were in high demand. 

Many of the workers were Chinese people from Shandong area, and they brought their black bean sauce from home.  With that, workers were able to make a quick bowl of noodles reminiscent of home flavors, and soon jajangmyeon carts started to roam around selling this easy meal option.

The original 'jakjangmyeon,' or jajangmyeon of earlier days apparently had a much different taste.  Since the original sauce was fermented and aged mix of flour and beans, it tasted much saltier without sweetness.  And since it was people's food, jajangmyeon wasn't sold in Chinese restaurants in the earlier days.  Even in Gonghwachun (공화춘), the Chinese restaurant in Incheon known to have first developed jajangmyeon, didn't serve jajangmyeon in the beginning but included it in the menu with its increasing popularity.

Then the new, mass-produced Korean version of the sauce appeared, with caramel sauce mixed in the original black bean sauce, which is what we've come to know as the base of jajangmyeon sauce, or chunjang (춘장; black bean paste).  At the time a sweet taste was a rarity, this became something of a sensational new taste.  It was also a new, convenient option for Chinese restaurants in Korea since they didn't have to make the base themselves.

While chunjang remained pretty much the same over the years, vegetable ingredients for jajangmyeon have varied based on seasonality and price.  Many people remember potato cubes as a main ingredient from their childhood jajangmyeon.  As you can imagine, potatoes played a major role in jajangmyeon because they were abundant and cheap.  The increasing amount of onion has to do with Koreans' general preference for sweeter flavor, in addition to extra sugar that goes into chunjang during cooking.  Also, lard was used to stir-fry ingredients and chunjang in the beginning.  However, a shift was made to use vegetable oil after a 'shortening shock' in the late 1980s, when the news came out that the industrial-grade beef fat was used in food, which led to the general belief that animal fat was bad.  The porky flavor is still there through added pork meat in the dish.  

Jajangmyeon is also an item in the effective living cost index, complementary to the Consumer Price Index, in which prices of essential goods for daily living regardless of income level are carefully watched over.  This shows how ingrained jajangmyeon is in Korea, and it also explains why the price of jajangmyeon would never increase dramatically.

Chinese restaurants, therefore, developed other jajangmyeon varieties for which they can charge more.  Seafood (삼선; sam seon) jajangmyeon with exotic sea cucumber, shrimp, cuttlefish was introduced via the chefs from Hong Kong who were invited to work at Chinese restaurants in fancy hotels.  For Koreans who love spicy food, Sichuan-style (사천식; sa cheon sik) jajangmyeon came to light.  Wide plate (쟁반; jaeng ban) jajangmyeon, a generous portion of noodles stir-fried with chunjang in the wok then served on a big plate like a main dish to be shared, also appeared.  Still, the most popular version of jajangmyeon to this day is the basic, original jajangmyeon.  And many consider the original jajangmyeon as the barometer of a quality Chinese restaurant.

In addition to the information on jajangmyeon in the Essen article, jajangmyeon signifies other meanings for various occasions.  One that I find sad yet funny is the ritual that is forced upon(?) singles on the Black Day on April 14th.  Just to give you a little background on the Black Day and related 'holidays' without getting into the legitimacy of these highly commercialized days, in short, Koreans celebrate the Valentines Day (February 14th) as the day of women confessing their love for their men with chocolates.  Then comes the White Day (March 14th), when the men return the favor with white, or mint-flavored candies.  What's left out in these two celebrations are the singles who are to gather together on April 14th to commiserate their misery of singlehood by eating dark, gloomy black food, and what else fits that description better than jajangmyeon (which I, and many Koreans, accept as not the most aesthetically pleasing dish)?

I want to address one more thing about jajangmyeon before getting into a simple home recipe.  The National Institute of the Korean Language determined Jajangmyeon (자장면) as the standard spelling and pronounciation for the dish in 1986, but people never relented to it.  Only on TV, reporters would pronounce it as jajangmyeon, but in the real world, people said it with the accented "jja" (짜) as in jja-jang-myeon (짜장면).  Finally, in August of this year, both 자장면 and 짜장면 were recognized as standard spellings.  As far as I know, there has been no study on why people have been so attached to the slightly stronger pronounciation, a nominal difference at best from the outside.  Yet, my guess is that sometimes people have such strong memory attached to a certain dish, they want to keep everything about it as they remember, including the pronounciation, from their childhood.  Yes, I also pronounce it as 짜장면 with the accented 'jja' but left the English spelling here as jajangmyeon for...convenience on my part.              

There are now many options of enjoying jajangmyeon at home.  You can buy the 3-minute jajangmyeon sauce pouch, which you can put in boiling water or in the microwave to heat up and pour over the noodles.  You can buy instant jajangmyeon, packaged and cooked just like Korean ramyeon (라면; Korean version of ramen).  Personally, I consider these different noodle dishes with different tastes.  When I crave jajangmyeon, I'm thinking of a big bowl of noodles mixed with glistening black sauce and the sides of kimchi and danmuji (단무지; sweet radish pickle, yellow or off-white).

Over time, my jajangmyeon has become simplified, now left with only few ingredients that are essential to the jajangmyeon flavor.  This, by no means, belongs to a health food category.  But once in a while, this does satisfy my cravings without much effort of going to a Korean-Chinese restaurant or spending much time on (trying) cooking an elaborate restaurant version.  Here comes my weeknight comfort dinner - simple, spicy jajangmyeon.

  

To make simple jajangmyeon for one)

Spaghetti or linguini pasta

Water for cooking pasta, 1/2C of which should be reserved

1 TBSP sesame oil

2 TBSP pork belly (삼겹살; sam gyeop sal), cut to small pieces

1/2 medium-sized onion, peeled and diced (about 1/2 C)

2 TBSP black bean paste (춘장; chun jang)

Optional) 1 TBSP gochujang (고추장; Korean red pepper paste) to make it spicy

Optional) cucumber for garnish

Cook pasta according to package instruction.  However, don't be concerned about cooking pasta to al dente.  Jajangmyeon noodle is on the softer side, if not chewy, which we're trying to mimic.  So spaghetti or linguini pasta can be cooked a little longer than the usual al dente state.  After cooking the pasta, reserve about 1/2 C of cooking water.

Drizzle sesame oil on a warm pan.  Add pork belly and render the fat over low heat.  I keep it slightly covered with the lid so that pork fat won't splatter all over but I don't want the pan to get too hot by completely covering it.  Check once in a while to stir for even cooking. 

When pork belly pieces turn crispy brown, add the diced onion and stir well.  As the onion pieces start turning translucent, add chunjang and stir.  Take your time mixing in chunjang, incorporating pork fat and onion pieces well.

If you want a spicy version of jajangmyeon, add gochujang and stir to cook for another 2 minutes. 

Add pasta water to loosen up the sauce.  Start with 2 TBSP of pasta water and stir to incoroprate the sauce.  Depending on your preference, add more water.  Bring it up to a boil.

Add cooked pasta in the sauce and mix in the noodles in sauce over low heat.  Remove from heat.   

Optional) Garnish with raw cucumber strips.

Serve with danmuji (단무지; sweet radish pickle) and/or kimch.

Related Posts

Danmuji (단무지; Sweet Radish Pickle), November 2011

Dak Kalguksu (닭 칼국수; Chicken Noodle Soup), July 2010

Bibim Guksu (비빔국수; Spicy Chilled Noodles), June 2010

KOREAN WORDS
pork belly   삼겹살   (sam gyeop sal) 
onion           양파     (yang pa)

Danmuji (단무지 - Sweet Radish Pickle)

Danmuji - strips colored with chija (Gardenia) in the back and half-circles colored with turmeric

Danmuji (단무지) literally means sweet radish pickle, originated in Japan and instantly recognized by its bright yellow color.  It's a must-ingredient for kimbap (김밥; rice rolls wrapped in seaweed), and an equally important accompaniment for jajangmyeon (짜장면; noodles with black bean sauce).  Its sweet, tangy, bright flavor along with refreshingly crunch bites delivered at a cheap cost make danmuji a favorite side dish in bunsik (분식; snack) places in Korea. 

Although it's common to buy danmuji in packages at a grocery store, it is also as easy to make at home.  The home version danmuji can be made by quick pickling, which requires pouring the boiled pickling liquid over the main ingredient, in this case, daikon radish.

While it doesn't have to be bright yellow, the color is part of its identity many people associate danmuji with.  You may be lucky enough to get dried chija (치자; Gardenia jasminoides) from your area, which is dried gardenia fruit traditionally used for natural coloring as well as herbal medicine in Korea.  Chija starts releasing its orange-yellow color immediately as it comes into contact with water.  It'll get you the color fitted for danmuji along with slightly fragrant, earthy note in the background. 

A more accessible option is adding a small amount of turmeric from your spice rack for the bright yellow color in danmuji.  A hint of this exotic spice that comes through in danmuji is pleasantly refreshing. 

Now that we've settled on getting the proper yellow color for danmuji, try this recipe at home.  The recipe is adjustable, of course, depending on the amount of radish and your preference for sweetness.  Just make sure the liquid is enough to cover the radish.  Enjoy~!  

 
(L) Use a firm daikon radish with tight, smooth surface inside, i.e., free of any holes. (R) in turmeric pickling liquid

 
Chija (치자) makes a great coloring agent for danmuji. 

1 small daikon (Japanese radish), about 2 cups, peeled
1/2 C rice vinegar
1/2 C water
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 ts salt
1 ts turmeric powder or 3-5 pieces of dried chija (치자; Gardenia jasminoides)
Optional) 1/2 ts black peppercorns

If you're making this as a convenient side dish, cut daikon into thin slices then cut in half.  If you're using this mainly for a kimbap ingredient, cut in long strips.

Mix together rice vinegar, water, sugar, turmeric (or chija), and black peppercorns.  Bring the liquid up to a boil, then pour it over daikon slices.

Cool danmuji to room temperature, then place it in an airtight container.  If you want to expedite its pickling, leave it out at room temperature overnight.  It should be ready to eat the next day.  Store danmuji in the refrigerator.  The color will continue to deepen for the next few days.

Related Posts

Jajangmyeon (짜장면; Noodles with Black Bean Sauce), November 2011

Quick Pickled Vegetables, June 2011

Pickled Pearl Onions, March 2010

Jalapeno Pickle in Soy Sauce, November 2009

 

KOREAN WORDS
turmeric                    강황  (gang hwang)
black peppercorns  통후추  (tong hu chu)

Danhobak Gnocchi with Bekseju-Chestnut Sauce

Danhobak (a.k.a. kabocha) is Koreans' go-to fall/winter pumpkin used in many sweet and savory dishes.  Although I can find it year-round, I'm drawn to it more as a cute decoration for home and a versatile ingredient in the colder days.  To me, no other squash compares to the sweet, creamy danhobak which is often described as a 'cross between pumpkin and sweet potato.'

Although I named this cuties danhobak 'gnocchi' for your reference, these are actually rooted in Korean sae-al-shim (새알심; bird egg), small white balls made with sweet rice flour added in soups, providing more substance to liquid-based dishes.  It's also called ongshimi (옹심이) in Gangwon Province, known for its beautiful mountains and beaches as well as its potato production where the usual ongshimi is made with potato starch.

Using rice flours and danhobak, my 'gnocchi' dough comes out with rice-cake's soft-chewiness containing natural sweet flavor from danhobak.  With the bright yellow-orange color from danhobak, my mind works in a simple way to shape the dough into mini danhobaks, or any squatty pumpkins for that matter.  Coat them in the sauce made with other fall ingredients of chestnuts and pine nuts enriched with butter and bekseju, rice wine mainly for drinking but working to provide earthy, sweet tone in this sauce.  Complete the dish with danhobak skin, often ignored and discarded, but here they act as light crunchy chips and a bit of pumpkin vine looks.  The complete dish is a day-out for ongshimi, usually bobbing their heads in Korean soups, now taking the main stage and hanging out with other fall ingredients.  Or you can consider it your gluten-free, fall gnocchi dish treated with Korean ingredients.

Danhobak skin is thin and completely edible.  Just make sure to wash thoroughly before cooking, as you would with any vegetables eaten with the skin on.  

If you can't find danhobak, you can substitute with other winter squashes like butternut squash or buttercup squash (which looks very similar to danhobak, but its flesh is wetter).  Adjust the amount of flesh added to the dough because of different water content in the squash.
     
 

 

 

 


Danhobak Gnocchi with Chestnut-Bekseju Sauce
Yield) 15~20 danhobak gnocchi, enough for 2 portions

Danhobak Gnocchi)
1/4 C ~ 1/2 C danhobak (a.k.a. kabocha) flesh, cooked (see below for instruction)
1/2 C + 1 TBSP frozen rice flour (떡 쌀가루; tteok ssal ga ru) - sold in Korean grocery stores
1/2 C + 1 TBSP sweet rice flour (찹쌀가루: chap ssal ga ru) - I used mochiko
1/4 ts salt
1/4 ts green tea powder
1 TBSP water
Water for boiling danhobak gnocchi

Chestnut-Bekseju Sauce)
2 TBSP butter
6-8 chestnuts, peeled (peeled raw chestnuts are available in the freezer section of Korean grocery stores) 
1/4 C onion, peeled & chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled & minced
2 TBSP danhobak flesh, small diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 C bekseju (sold at Astor Wines in Manhattan.  You can also substitute with white wine) 
1~2 C simple dashi (a piece of kelp and 2 C of water) or water
2 ts pine nuts
Optional) 5 thin slices of a red pepper or jalapeno to add mild spicy heat and balance off the butter-rich taste

Garnish)
a small patch of danhobak skin, any remaining flesh removed and cut to thin strips
1 TBSP butter
a pinch salt

Danhobak Gnocchi)
(1) Microwave a danhobak for 4 minutes, until danhobak softens enough to handle with ease.  Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds.  Cut about 1/4 of the danhobak.  Remove the skin with a knife and cut the flesh into small dice.  Set aside.
(2) Return the rest of the danhobak to microwave for another 3-4 minutes until its flesh is completely soft.  Separate flesh from skin.  Mash the flesh with a potato masher or a fork.  Reserve the skin and mashed flesh separately.
(3) Mix 1/2 C frozen rice flour, 1/2 C sweet rice flour and 1/4 ts salt and add 1/4 C of danhobak flesh.  As you start kneading, add more danhobak flesh to bring it into a smooth dough consistency.  I've used up to 1/2 C of danhobak flesh all together.  Wrap in plastic.     
(4) Mix 1 TBSP frozen rice flour, 1 TBSP sweet rice flour, 1/4 ts green tea powder and 1 TBSP water and knead to get green dough.  Wrap in plastic.
(5) Divide the yellow dough into same size pieces, about 15-20 pieces.  Make each piece into a ball and shape it like a pumpkin.  Press the gnocchi with a spoon to resemble the lines of a pumpkin.  Repeat with the rest of the yellow dough pieces. Keep the gnocchi covered with a piece of wet paper towel.
(6) Dab water on top of the danhobak gnocchi and press a tiny amount of green dough.
(7) Add gnocchi to a pot of boiling water.  After about 5 minutes when the gnocchi come up to the top, drain the water and add the gnocchi to ice water to stop cooking.

Chestnut-Bekseju Sauce)
(1) Make dashi by boiling a piece of kelp about the size of your two fingers together in 2 C of water.  Once it comes up to a boil, remove from heat and keep it covered.
(2) Add 1 TBSP of butter to a warm pan.  Add peeled chestnuts and a pinch of salt, and cook until the color turns light brown all around over moderate heat.  Drain, chop the chestnuts to small pieces and reserve.
(3) On a clean, warm pan, add 1 TBSP of butter.  Add onion, garlic and pepper pieces then a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook until onion pieces turn translucent.  Add danhobak dice and chopped chestnuts and stir.
(4) Add bekseju and cook until the rice wine is reduced to barely cover the bottom.
(5) Add 1 C of dashi from (1) and bring it up to a boil. 
(6) Add danhobak gnocchi and stir to coat them with the sauce.  Continue cooking until the sauce is reduced to a lightly creamy consistency.  Add more dashi as necessary.
(7) Finish with toasted pine nuts and remove from heat.

Danhobak Skin Garnish)
On a warm pan, add 1 TBSP of butter and thinly slice strips of danhobak skin.  When the strips turn brown, remove from heat and place danhobak strips on papertowel.  Sprinkle with salt.

If you're interested in seeing how I've used danhobak, check out the following.

Baked Rice Cake

Rice Muffin

Red Bean Porridge on Winter Solstice (동지 팥죽)

Kabocha 

KOREAN WORDS
potato    감자  (gam ja)
pine nut   잣    (jat)