Jajangmyeon

Jajangmyeon is a Korean dish of wheat noodles served under a thick sauce made from fermented black bean paste, diced pork, onion and vegetables. It belongs to the Korean-Chinese (Chinese-Korean) tradition of Incheon's Chinatown, where it developed from Shandong-style zhajiangmian.

What it really is

Jajangmyeon is made by frying chunjang (salted, fermented black soybean paste) in oil, then cooking diced pork or beef with onion, zucchini, potato and sometimes squid or onion-and-cabbage, with a little sugar and a starch slurry to thicken the sauce. The sauce is spooned over boiled wheat noodles, usually a thick, chewy wheat noodle, and mixed at the table. Cucumber strips and raw onion or sliced radish are often served alongside, along with a dish of pickled radish.

It is closely related to Chinese zhajiangmian, which uses a different bean paste and sauce, and to Beijing zhajiangmian, which is a dry noodle dish in a sauce of fermented soybean paste. The Korean version is sweeter, has a thicker, glossier sauce, and is almost always made with a wheat noodle served in a bowl.

How it's served

• Served hot in a bowl, with the sauce on top of the noodles and mixed by the diner before eating.
• Usually accompanied by sliced raw onion or cucumber, and pickled radish (danmuji).
• Often eaten with a side of vinegar or chilli condiment, which is optional.
• Commonly ordered as a takeaway or delivery meal, and a standard lunch dish in Korean-Chinese restaurants.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the key ingredients: black bean paste sauce with pork, onion and vegetables over wheat noodles.
• Flag allergens: wheat (noodles and flour in the sauce), soy (black bean paste), and possibly crustaceans or molluscs if squid or shellfish are added.
• State the protein if it varies: pork is standard, and beef or seafood variants may be offered.
• State whether the dish is served with raw onion and pickled radish, and whether noodles are fresh or dried.