Asking yourself ‘what does black bean noodles taste like’, is a surefire way to make yourself hungry for some noodles. The truth of the matter is that black bean noodles are really good, especially when you get yourself a steaming bowl of them with an egg on top. By the way, always get an egg with your noodles, it’s so good!
What are black bean noodles?
Black bean noodles sound like they’re noodles that are made from beans. Surprisingly, that’s not what they are! Beans couldn’t be used to make noodles, since noodles need a lot of gluten to stretch to the right length. Beans don’t have any gluten, so they’d make a bad ingredient for noodle-makers.
Instead, black bean noodles are a dish made from regular noodles in black bean sauce. The dish, as a whole, is called jajangmyeon. This is a Korean name since the dish itself hails from Korea.
What do black bean noodles taste like?
Most of the flavor of great black bean noodles comes from the sauce. It’s like a pasta dish – you know the pasta is there, but the sauce is the star of the show. The thick wheat noodles in jajangmyeon are a great part of the meal, but they’re also just that – a part of the meal mostly designed to bring the sauce into you and fill your belly.
The noodles used can vary a lot between different types of noodle chefs. Generally, people prefer to use thicker noodles than some other dishes, meaning that it can soak up a lot of water during the cooking process. If it’s water that the noodles are cooked in, then the meal noodles will be quite plain. If they’re cooked in stock, though, they might have a savory, salty flavor that brings a lot of intensity to your meal.
What does black bean sauce taste like?
The sauce is a rich, savory offering, that’s quite hard to define. The paste is made from fermented wheat flour, soybeans, and caramel sauce. This combination results in a sweet and savory option that is rare enough to be an instant favorite for most people.
The fermentation of the wheat flour is an interesting part of the sauce since it gives the meal a tasty, slightly tangy note. I really like it, since I enjoy pretty much anything that’s been fermented – from kimchi to sourdough bread.
Black bean noodles (jajangmyeon) ingredients
To make some great jajangmyeon in your home, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 3-4 servings of udon noodles.
- 5 tbsp Korean black bean paste
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce – optional, but I’d recommend it.
- 1 cup of chicken stock, or water
- 1 tbsp of corn starch, dissolved in an additional ¼ cup of stock or water.
- 8-10 ounces of pork, preferably with some visible fat
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp rice wine, or mirin
- ⅛ tsp salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 large onion
- 8 ounces green cabbage
- 8 ounces zucchini
- 1 small cucumber for garnish
This might seem like quite a long ingredient list, but when you’ve bought things like rice wine and oyster sauce, you won’t need to buy them again for a while. Instead, you’ll have plenty in your cupboards to keep you eating for a while!
How to cook jajangmyeon (step-by-step)
Making jajangmyeon isn’t tricky, but it is a process with a lot of steps. I’m going to run through everything here, and I’d advise reading through before you get started, that will help you to know when to, for example, boil your kettle or dice the veggies.
Step 1:
Have a large pot of water on the stove, and turn the heat on under it when you start cooking the meat. That way, the water will be at a rolling boil by the time you need to cook the noodles.
Step 2:
Cut the pork and vegetables into rough, half-inch cubes. You can make them a little bigger or smaller, but the important part is that they’re all sized around the same.
*NOTE: Cut the pork first, and add it to a bowl with the rice wine, ginger, salt, and pepper. This will quickly marinade it.
Step 3:
Add the black bean paste to a small saucepan with the oil, sugar, and oyster sauce. Bring the flame to medium size, and stir constantly to avoid burning. It’s important to toast this mixture, not cook it totally. After a minute or so, take it off the heat.
Step 4:
Heat a separate pan with two tbsp of cooking oil to medium-high. Then, add the pork, and stir fry until browned. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce halfway through – this will bring some intensity to the pork itself.
Step 5:
Add the onion to the pork, and cook until soft. Then, follow with the cabbage and zucchini, and continue to stir fry until everything is soft.
Step 6:
Add the black bean paste mixture to the pan with everything else, and mix everything until it’s all well coated and combined.
Step 7:
Add the stock to the pan, and bring it to a boil, cooking for three or four minutes. Then, add the starch slurry to thicken the mixture, adding more sugar to taste.
Step 8:
At this point, drain and add the noodles to the dish, tossing to combine. This creates a tasty noodle dish that you can serve easily.
FAQ
Is jajangmyeon sweet or spicy?
Jajangmyeon is certainly sweeter than it is spicy, but I wouldn’t say that either of those things is its main flavor. Instead, the main flavor of jajangmyeon is a mixture of savory and sweet, and a little bit of fermented tang.
Why is jajangmyeon so popular?
Jajangmyeon is popular because it’s tasty – a lot of people enjoy the dish, and so a lot of restaurants spread it around the world. It’s a great dish that a lot of people count as one of their favorites.
Is jajangmyeon yummy?
Yes, I would say so. It’s all down to your personal preference, but it’s hard to imagine anyone that doesn’t enjoy rich, savory, and slightly sweet noodles as a wonderful comfort food.
What Does Black Bean Noodles Taste Like (Jajangmyeon Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3-4 servings udon noodles
- 5 tbsp Korean black bean paste
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce – optional, but I’d recommend it.
- 1 cup chicken stock, or water
- 1 tbsp corn starch, dissolved in an additional ¼ cup of stock or water.
- 8-10 ounces pork, preferably with some visible fat
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp rice wine, or mirin
- 1/8 tsp salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 large onion
- 8 ounces green cabbage
- 8 ounces zucchini
- 1 small cucumber for garnish
Instructions
- Have a large pot of water on the stove, and turn the heat on under it when you start cooking the meat. That way, the water will be at a rolling boil by the time you need to cook the noodles.
- Cut the pork and vegetables into rough, half-inch cubes. You can make them a little bigger or smaller, but the important part is that they’re all sized around the same.*NOTE: Cut the pork first, and add it to a bowl with the rice wine, ginger, salt, and pepper. This will quickly marinade it.
- Add the black bean paste to a small saucepan with the oil, sugar, and oyster sauce. Bring the flame to medium size, and stir constantly to avoid burning. It’s important to toast this mixture, not cook it totally. After a minute or so, take it off the heat.
- Heat a separate pan with two tbsp of cooking oil to medium-high. Then, add the pork, and stir fry until browned. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce halfway through – this will bring some intensity to the pork itself.
- Add the onion to the pork, and cook until soft. Then, follow with the cabbage and zucchini, and continue to stir fry until everything is soft.
- Add the black bean paste mixture to the pan with everything else, and mix everything until it’s all well coated and combined.
- Add the stock to the pan, and bring it to a boil, cooking for three or four minutes. Then, add the starch slurry to thicken the mixture, adding more sugar to taste.
- At this point, drain and add the noodles to the dish, tossing to combine. This creates a tasty noodle dish that you can serve easily.
Wrapping it up!
I hope I answered your question about what does black bean noodles taste like! Black bean noodles, or jajangmyeon, is a tasty meal that’s hard to say no to. I really enjoy making it mid-week, since it can be such a quick, tasty option. Give it a go soon!