Vegan Jajangmyeon for Two (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

Vegan jajangmyeon (자장면) is a Korean noodle dish, also spelled with two J’s as in jjajangmyeon. The dramatic black colour comes from a fermented black bean paste called chunjang, which gives these noodles a uniquely sweet and savoury flavour. Made with firm tofu, meaty mushrooms, and plenty of thick jjajang sauce, this vegan recipe is sure to please any Asian food lover!

Maybe the irony of this recipe is that it makes two servings when one serving would be more apropos. In Korea, there is a holiday every April 14th called Black Day, a sort of anti-Valentine’s day dedicated to all the lonely singles out there. Tradition calls for single people to commiserate and eat inky black jjajangmyeon together. So when you make jajangmyeon, save a bowl for a bachelor/bachelorette in your life… or, hey, keep it for yourself for the next day. No judgement.

What You’ll Need

Here are the ingredients for vegan jjajangmyeon:

Noodles

I prefer using fresh or frozen noodles, because they have the best texture—thick and super chewy. Korean grocery stores sell noodles specifically for jjajangmyeon; look for the words 우동 짜장면 or 중화면. Japanese udon noodles are a little thicker than the noodles traditionally used, but they also work well. Dried noodles or pasta are fine, too; choose something like linguine or another noodle of similar thickness.

Jjajang Sauce Ingredients

• Oil: Use a neutral-flavoured cooking oil, like grapeseed, sunflower seed, or canola. If you don’t have an allergy to it, peanut oil is also a good one. It adds a subtle nutty flavour that’s really good!
• Yellow onion, diced really small.
• Tofu, any kind of tofu! (As long as it’s somewhat firm.) My favourite to use for this recipe is smoked tofu. But fried tofu, firm tofu, pressed beancurd, whatever, they’re all A-OK.
• Zucchini, daikon radish, potato: You can use a mix of all three of these ingredients, or just one or two. (Don’t do all daikon radish, though; the flavour is too strong.)
• Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for at least two hours. Adds some delicious umami flavour.
• Chunjang paste gives jjajangmyeon its signature black colour and its unique flavour. Made of fermented black beans, this ingredient can be found at any Korean grocery store, or in large Asian supermarkets like T&T.
• Sugar
• Ground black pepper
• Salt
• Water (save and use the mushroom-soaking water for max flavour.)
• Cornstarch thickens the sauce. Can also be substituted with potato starch or tapioca starch.
• Sesame oil: Like olive oil, sesame oil loses its flavour when exposed to heat. So mix this in at the last minute (just a tiny drizzle will do).

Step-by-Step Process

Start by making the jajang sauce:

Jjajang Sauce

Step 1: Heat a wok or sauté pan on medium heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. (Reserve the remaining 1/2 tbsp of oil for sautéeing the chunjang paste in Step 4).

Step 2: Sauté the diced onions, tofu, zucchini, radish, and shiitake mushrooms on medium heat until soft and aromatic, around 10 minutes.

Step 3: While the vegetables and tofu are cooking, mix together the sugar, black pepper, salt, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup cold water (for a thinner sauce, increase to 3/4 cup) in a small cup.

Step 4: Set the cornstarch-water mixture aside. Use a spatula to create a small space in the center of the pan and add the reserved 1/2 tbsp of oil.

Step 5: Add the chunjang paste to the center. Gently fry the chunjang paste in the oil for about a minute, then graadually mix it with everything else in the pan.

Step 6: Pour over the cornstarch-water mixture and give it a good mix. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 7: Remove the lid and continue to cook until sauce has thickened to your liking—shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. You want it saucy enough to be able to luxuriously coat all the noodles.

Step 8: Drizzle with sesame oil and your sauce is ready!

Jjajangmyeon (Noodle Option) or Jjajangbap (Rice Option)

Noodles option: Bring a pot of water to a boil then add 8oz (230g) of fresh noodles or 6oz (170g) of dried noodles. Cook for the recommended time on the package, then portion into plates. Top with the jjajang sauce.

Rice option: Cook 3/4 cup (150g) of dried rice using your preferred method. Mix with jjajang sauce.

If you want to be exxxtra gourmet, add a julienned cucumber and sesame seeds as topping.

What to Serve with Vegan Jajangmyeon

Make Ahead & Storage Tips

I recommend storing the sauce and noodles separately to prevent the noodles from absorbing too much sauce and getting soggy. Jjajang sauce and noodles can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Jjajang sauce can be made ahead of time as it reheats well. For best results, boil the noodles fresh right before you want to serve them. Then drain the noodles and toss together with jjajang sauce, and that should be enough to warm up the sauce.

If you must cook the noodles beforehand, toss them in a little oil to prevent them from sticking together while refrigerated.

Recipe Card

Vegan Jajangmyeon for Two (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

5 from 1 vote

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 2 bowls

Calories: 652kcal

Author: Jellie

Cost: $0.99

An inky black noodle dish from Korea, vegan jajangmyeon is made with a hearty mix of tofu and vegetables covered in a rich and savoury black bean sauce.

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Ingredients

• 8oz / 230g fresh noodles see Note 1
• 1½ tbsp oil 20g
• 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped 100g
• 8 oz fried tofu or firm tofu, sliced into 1/2-inch cubes 230g; see Note 2
• ½ cup zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch cubes 60g
• ½ cup daikon radish, sliced into 1/2-inch cubes 60g; see Note 3
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced into strips see Note 4
• 5 tbsp chunjang paste 100g
• 1 tsp sugar 4g
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper 1g
• ¼ tsp salt 2g
• ½ cup water 120g
• ½ tbsp cornstarch 4g *can sub with potato starch or tapioca starch
• 1 tsp sesame oil 4g

Instructions

Jjajang Sauce

• Add 1 tbsp oil to a wok or sauté pan on medium heat (reserve the remaining 1/2 tbsp of oil for Step 3).
• Sauté the diced onions, tofu, zucchini, radish, and shiitake mushrooms on medium heat until soft and aromatic, around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 salt, 1/2 cup cold water, and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch in a small cup and set aside.
• Use a spatula to create a small space in the center of the pan. Add the reserved 1/2 tbsp of oil followed immediately by 5 tbsp of chunjang paste. Gently fry the chunjang paste in the oil for about a minute, then mix it into everything else in the pan.
• Pour over the cornstarch-water mixture. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid and continue to cook until sauce has thickened to your liking—shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. You want it saucy enough to be able to luxuriously coat all the noodles. Drizzle with sesame oil and set aside.

Jjajangmyeon (Noodle option)

• Bring a pot of water to a boil then add 8oz (230g) of fresh noodles or 6oz (170g) of dried noodles. Cook for the recommended time on the package, then portion into plates. Top with the jjajang sauce.

Jjajangbap (Rice option)

• Cook 3/4 cup (150g) of dried rice using your preferred method. Mix with jjajang sauce.

Video

Notes

1. You can also use fresh udon noodles or pasta (I recommend linguine or fettucine). In place of fresh noodles, you can use 6oz / 170g of dried noodles. If using dried noodles, increase water to 1½ cups and simmer for 8 minutes instead of 2.
2. You can use any kind of firm tofu that holds up to stir-frying and braising. I have tried this recipe with stew-style fried tofu, smoked tofu, plain extra-firm tofu, and pressed bean curd. My favourite pick is unseasoned fried tofu as it has the most satisfying texture and really soaks up the flavours of the jjajang sauce!
3. Daikon radish has quite a strong taste and smell. It can be substituted with potatoes for a milder sauce.
4. Small dried shiitake mushrooms will take 6 hours to rehydrate in room temperature water. Or you can use boiling hot water, which cuts the soak time down by half. Save 1/2 cup of the soaking water for use later on in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 652kcal

Nutrition, Cost, and Emissions Information