There are some vegetarian noodle dishes where you might "miss" the meat and compensate with cheese. These vegan Korean black bean noodles, however, are so full flavored and complete just on their own.
Other vegan recipes you could try that are so fully rich on their own without meat are green garlic noodles, vegan mapo tofu, and easy Korean seaweed salad.
Traditional Jia Jiang Myeon (짜장면)
While traditionally made with cubes of pork, this vegan version uses sweet cubes of kabocha squash and crunchy cabbage.
Dried porcini mushrooms and red wine add depth and roundness to the strong flavor of the black bean paste.
History
This dish encapsulates what it means to take something from your home country and make it your own in a new one using the ingredients available to you.
Originally from Beijing, ZhaZiang Mien is a Northern Chinese noodle dish typically transliterated with a “z” instead of the Korean version that is spelled with “j”.
The Chinese version uses a sweet yellow fermented bean paste, while the Korean version uses a caramelized, black colored one.
Brought to Korea by Chinese immigrants, this dish is nearly ubiquitous in Korea, much like spaghetti and tomato sauce that Italian immigrants brought to America.
Why you should make it
Like many a spaghetti sauce, this one can be made well in advance and reheated and served over freshly boiled noodles rather quickly on a weeknight.
Served over hot rice, the dish becomes Jia Jiang Bap (짜장밥). “Bap” meaning rice and “Myeon” meaning noodle in Korean.
Just as you can use a multitude of vegetables for an Italian ragu, so can you also add your choice of vegetables to this sauce.
Unlike Italian pasta, this one is never pre-mixed together in a pan prior to serving. To each their own in their own bowl.
Do not deny yourself the pleasure of the gurgling sound the noodles and sauce will make when you mix them all together, which is incredibly edifying after a long day.
The Secret Ingredient
The Korean fermented black bean paste is essential to making Jia Jiang Myeon.
Pronounced “chun-jang” in Korean (춘장), it is made by fermenting soybeans with a wild bacteria known as koji.
Once opened, the jar will last in your fridge for a while. Perhaps as long as you’d like it to, but it will dry out before it spoils.
Quite a few versions of this product contain MSG. The three listed below did not.
Whichever version you buy, they each vary greatly in the saltiness, so your sauce will need to be adjusted for salt accordingly.
#1 Haitai, Inc. brand - Recommended
Ingredients: Soy bean, wheat flour, water, salt, caramel, soybean powder
Plain and simple, just soybeans and salt, this brand has no extra flavors or fillers to compete with, so you can make the sauce truly your own. It is also the saltiest version tasted, so the quantity of black bean paste is greatly reduced in the recipe.
#2 Wang Korea brand
Ingredients: Wheat flour, soybean, water, salt, caramel (color), corn oil, potato starch, onion, sugar, potassium sorbate as a preservative.
The addition of potato starch as a thickener and sugar threw off the addition of those ingredients to the recipe. If you don’t want to add these ingredients yourself, this may be an option for you.
#3 Chong Jung Won brand
Ingredients: Wheat flour, Soy bean, salt, caramel coloring, spirits, water
This brand has the least salt of the three. If using this brand, you may need double the quantity of paste used.
What to serve these noodles with
The must have garnish is the julienned cucumber. It adds freshness, crunch, and color.
Korean-Chinese restaurants will serve this dish alongside a red cabbage kimchi and yellow pickled daikon radish.
Since the noodle dish itself is very umami in flavor, the salty, sour and crunchy flavors add a refreshing contrast of flavors and textures.
Fresh Korean wheat noodles are made just for this dish (pictured). Use Italian spaghetti or any other dried noodle that is preferred.
How to make Vegan Korean Black Bean Sauce Noodles
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Saute chopped garlic under medium high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Add black bean paste and saute for 1-2 minutes.
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Add kabocha squash and cook 3-4 minutes until squash starts to soften slightly.
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Add zucchini and onion. Cook 1-2 minutes. Deglaze pan with red wine and porcini mushroom with liquid.
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Add water and cabbage. Bring sauce to a simmer. Add potato starch and cook for 8-10 minutes until kabocha squash is tender and easily pierced with a fork.
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Ladle over individual bowls of hot, cooked noodles.
Wine Pairing:
Carol Shelton, Wild Thing Zinfandel, from Russian River Valley, CA. The 2013 vintage is pictured here.
Zinfandel typically pairs well with grilled meats and the saltiness of the black beans works well with the richness of the sauce.
Helpful Tips:
- If pressed for time, make this sauce 2-3 days in advance and refrigerate. Reheat and serve with fresh boiled noodles for a quick meal. Freeze the sauce, if you would really like to make a big batch.
- Key denoters of this dish are the glossiness of the sauce and the opaque white al dente onions that peek through the black abyss of sauce when first made.
- Fermented black bean paste products vary greatly in saltiness. Adjust the amount as needed if using a different brand.
- Potato starch will result in a silkier, glossier sauce and is the preferred thickener of choice. Substitute with cornstarch if you don’t have it on hand.
- While traditionally made with small diced cubes of pork, when made en masse, ground pork can be substituted just as easily while also being easier on the pocketbook.
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Recipe
Vegan Korean Black Bean Sauce Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 Tb oil
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- ½ c Korean black bean paste sometimes called Chinese black bean paste
- 2 c kabocha squash 1" dice
- 1 c onion ½" dice
- 2 c zucchini 1" dice
- ¼ c red wine or water if you don't want to use wine
- ¼ c dried porcini mushrooms (or dried shitake mushrooms with stems removed) rehydrated in water for at least 5 minutes
- 2 c water
- 1 c cabbage sliced
- 2 Tb potato starch or cornstarch mixed with 4 Tb water
- 1 lb Jia Jiang Myeon noodles or other noodles cooked according to package directions
Instructions
- Heat oil to medium heat. Saute chopped garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add black bean paste and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add kabocha squash and cook 3-4 minutes until squash starts to soften slightly.
- Add zucchini and onion. Cook 1-2 minutes. Deglaze pan with red wine and porcini mushroom with liquid.
- Add water and cabbage. Bring sauce to a simmer. Add potato starch and cook for 8-10 minutes until kabocha squash is tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Ladle over individual bowls of hot, cooked noodles.
Notes
- If pressed for time, make this sauce 2-3 days in advance and refrigerate. Reheat and serve with fresh boiled noodles for a quick meal. Freeze the sauce, if you would really like to make a big batch.
- Key denoters of this dish are the glossiness of the sauce and the opaque white al dente onions that peek through the black abyss of sauce when first made.
- Fermented black bean paste products vary greatly in saltiness. Adjust the amount as needed if using a different brand.
- Potato starch will result in a silkier, glossier sauce and is the preferred thickener of choice. Substitute with cornstarch if you don’t have it on hand.
- While traditionally made with small diced cubes of pork, when made en masse, ground pork can be substituted just as easily while also being easier on the pocketbook.
Nutrition
Do you love hot, saucy noodles? Spread the ♥, and please share!
Lynn says
This one caught me, I'm betting the flavor is deep and earthy-like? I'm a huge fan of Korean food although don't make it as often as I'd like. Lucky to have an Asian food store with a Korean section so fingers crossed they have one of the fermented black bean pastes you mention.
asiantestkitchen@gmail.com says
Yes, it is deep and earthy! Kind of inexplicable if you haven't tried it before. I hope you can find it, otherwise, the Chinese brown bean paste is similar but would be the Chinese version of this noodle dish. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you are able to find a jar of the paste!