If you think Korean comfort foods, jjajangmyeon is at the top of the list. And the best part – it only takes about 20 minutes to make! This recipe is a fairly standard jjajangmyeon recipe but you can easily alter it to suit your tastes!

Jjajangmyeon is a staple in Korean households since it is a great way to use up vegetables that are about to turn. This recipe uses potatoes, radish, onion, and zucchini, but you can really use anything you want. And while this is one of the most popular dishes in Korea, jjajangmyeon actually came from Chinese migrant workers in Incheon!
The Chinese dish, known as zhajiangmian, is similar in that both dishes are noodles with black bean sauce, however the type of black bean sauce Koreans use is slightly different. For this recipe I highly suggest buying chunjang for the most authentic taste.
What Can You Put In Jajangmyeon?
You can pretty much put whatever you want in your homemade jajangmyeon since it is just a homestyle comfort food. Although originally it was made as a cheap and heavy meal for the dockworkers in Incheon, these days it is found all over the country and every family has their own favorite way of cooking it.
While this recipe uses potatoes, zucchini, onion, and radish, you can add other things like carrots or peppers. The traditional meat is pork, but you can use beef, chicken, or even seafood if you like.
How To Make Jjajangmyeon At Home

This recipe is all about mis-en-place. If you have everything ready to go at the start, the cooking time is rather quick. If you have good knife skills, or perhaps a small child who doesn’t need all their fingers, you can make this dish in about 20 minutes!
I actually follow a pretty strict schedule when making jjajangmyeon since I can do a lot of prep while other things are cooking. You can follow along down below.
Ingredients

- 500 grams Jjajangmyeon Noodles – If you cannot find these Korean noodles you can use things like ramen noodles, udon, or even spaghetti if you want.
- 350 grams Pork Belly – Cut into cubes
- 1 Korean Radish – Or 1/2 of a Daikon radish. Diced into cubes.
- 1-2 Potatoes – Peeled and diced into cubes
- 1 Zucchini – Diced into cubes
- 1 Yellow Onion – Diced
- 1 tbsp Neutral Oil – Optional. It is only needed if your cut of pork does not have that much fat. I used sunflower but you can use soy or peanut if it is more easily accessible
- 1 tsp MSG
- 1-2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 4-5 tbsp Chunjang (Korean Black Bean Paste) – This ingredient usually comes in a rather large jar, but it lasts a long time. I highly recommend using some to make Chajang Tteokbokki, one of my other favorite Korean comfort foods.
- Cucumber – Julienned, for garnish
Jjajangmyeon Instructions

The first step is to prepare all of the meat and vegetables. Normally I start with the pork, and while the pork is cooking I clean and cut the potatoes, zucchini etc. But for this recipe and the photo above I prepared everything beforehand.

In a cold pan add the pork belly and turn on medium heat. I like to start with a cold pan so that the fat renders out which gives great flavor to the rest of the ingredients. Cook until the pork is no longer red, about 3 minutes.

Add the potato, zucchini, radish, and onion and give everything a good mix. Let the veggies get coated in the pork fat. Add the MSG and oil if needed. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion and zucchini have softened and released a lot of their liquid. Then add the black bean paste and stir everything together.

Let the jjajangmyeon stew in the pan for another five minutes, or until the potato is soft. Testing the potato is a good way to know if it is done, as it takes the longest – so if it is soft then everything is finished. However while the dish is stewing you should do the noodles so they cook at the same time. Thus saving plenty of…minutes.

Depending on the type of noodle you use there may be variations in time. However fresh Asian noodles usually cook in 2-4 minutes. Just boil them in water and then drain.

Time to plate. Some people prefer their jjajangmyeon tossed all together before plating, while some prefer the noodles on the bottom with the stew ladled over. Whatever your preference is, it is sure to be delicious! I actually prefer it all mixed together before plating, but for the sake of this food blog recipe the photo looks better when it is spooned over plain noodles.

Garnish your homemade jajangmyeon with some sliced raw cucumber and enjoy!
How Long Does Jjajangmyeon Last?
If you have leftovers then you can easily store the jjajangmyeon for later. However if you know you will have leftovers I recommend not mixing the stew with the noodles, as they can get a bit stodgy if refrigerated with the black bean sauce.
I recommend placing the stew in a sealable container and placing it in the fridge. This will ensure it stays as fresh as possible for up to 5 days. When you feel like eating some, make the noodles fresh while heating up the jjajangmyeon in a small pan or a microwave.
More Korean Recipes To Love

Jjajangmyeon
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- 500 grams Jjajangmyeon Noodles If you cannot find these Korean noodles you can use things like ramen noodles, udon, or even spaghetti if you want.
- 350 grams Pork Belly Cut into cubes
- 1 Korean Radish Or 1/2 of a Daikon radish. Diced into cubes.
- 1-2 Potatoes Peeled and diced into cubes
- 1 Zucchini Diced into cubes
- 1 Yellow Onion Diced
- 1 tbsp Neutral Oil Optional. It is only needed if your cut of pork does not have that much fat. I used sunflower but you can use soy or peanut if it is more easily accessible
- 1 tsp MSG
- 1-2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 4-5 tbsp Chunjang (Korean Black Bean Paste)
- Cucumber Julienned, for garnish
Instructions
- In a cold pan add the pork belly and turn on medium heat. I like to start with a cold pan so that the fat renders out which gives great flavor to the rest of the ingredients. Cook until the pork is no longer red, about 5 minutes.
- Add the potato, zucchini, radish, and onion and give everything a good mix. Let the veggies get coated in the pork fat. Add the MSG and oil if needed. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion and zucchini have softened and released a lot of their liquid. Then add the black bean paste and stir everything together.
- Let the jjajangmyeon stew in the pan for another five minutes, or until the potato is soft. While this is happing, boil the noodles
- Depending on the type of noodle you use there may be variations in time. However fresh Asian noodles usually cook in 2-4 minutes. Just boil them in water and then drain.
- To plate either toss your jjajangmyeon with the noodles beforehand and then place in the bowl/plate, or place the plain noodles first and then ladle over the stew.
- Garnish with the raw cucumber and enjoy!
