Kreamy Vegan

What is Vegan Jjajangmyeon?

Korean cuisine is a vibrant and diverse world of flavors, and this vegan jjajangmyeon recipe is one of its most beloved dishes. In particular, jjajangmyeon stands out as a beloved snack bar food people order from food delivery. This dish, characterized by its rich and savory black bean sauce served over noodles or rice, is generally not considered a “healthy” dish, however. With its high content of oil, sugar, and often MSG, people usually eat it at a restaurant or order it for delivery when they want a quick hot meal. Many argue that MSG is not a bad ingredient.

That is exactly why I would like to share this recipe with you. It lets you create this absolutely delicious dish while keeping yourself healthy.

Key Ingredients for Vegan Jjajangmyeon

• Chunjang: There are a lot of chunking out there, including ready-made jjajangmyeon sauce. But my recipe includes chunjang without pre-added sugar or oil. This means you can control the amount and type of sweetener and oil in your jjajangmyeon recipe.
• Diced or ground meat: Traditional recipes include meat such as pork belly. I will include both soy bits and minced soy bits for this recipe for extra meatiness.
• Noodles: Traditionally, you can use jjajangmyeon noodles if you can find them at your store. But I like to serve it with whole grain rice or whole wheat spaghetti.

Try the Full Vegan Jjajangmyeon Recipe

Kreamy Vegan

Jjajangmyeon

Must-try sweet and savory Chinese Korean black bean noodles

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Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese Korean, Fushion, Korean

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 50 g Dried minced soy bits Soaked in water
• 50 g Dried soy bits balls Soaked in water
• 2 Large onions Cubed
• 1/2 cup Carrots Diced
• 1 cup Zucchini Diced
• 1/2 cup Peas
• 3 cloves Garlic Minced
• 2 cups Water

Sauce

• 250 g Black bean paste, Chunjang
• 3 tbsp Date paste
• 1 tbsp Ground flaxseed
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce Optional, adjust for saltiness
• Salt and pepper To taste

Noodles

• 4 servings Jjajangmyeon noodles Udon or spaghetti noodles could work

Garnish

• 1 Cucumber julienned, optional for garnish

Method

 

1. Soak the soy bits in water and leave them for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the vegetables by cutting onions into cubes, dicing zucchini and carrots, and finely chopping garlic.
3. Bring water to a boil in a bot and toss in all the diced vegetables and peas. Squeeze water out of the soy bits and toss them in the pot. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Prepare the sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients; black bean paste (chunjang), flaxseed, date paste, and optional soy sauce. Stir gently to have everything incorporated well. Pour the sauce into the pot.
5. Taste and season it with salt and pepper.
6. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Once cooked, rinse them with cold water and set aside.
7. Place a portion of cooked noodles in a bowl and ladle the jjajang sauce on top of it.
8. Serve it with julienned cucumber on top of the dish.

Notes

Tips

•  I usually buy frozen peas and simply defrost them. I like to add them just before the meal is finished so I can keep the beautiful bright green colors of the peas.
•  Often, this dish is served with danmuji. It also pairs so well with an appetizer tangsuyuk, Korean sweet and sour pork. Try my Kreamy Vegan’s vegan tangsuyuk!

About Korean Black Bean Sauce (Chunjang)

Indeed, the soul of any jjajangmyeon is chunjang, a fermented Korean black bean paste with a deep, savory flavour. It pairs wonderfully with other Korean soup dishes like miyeokguk. Furthermore, stir-frying it in oil first removes its bitterness and unlocks its rich umami taste — making all the difference in the final dish.

Serving Suggestions

In addition, vegan jjajangmyeon pairs beautifully with danmuji (Korean yellow pickled radish) for a refreshing contrast. For a fuller meal, serve alongside vegan tangsuyuk or a comforting Korean rice cake soup. Enjoy it fresh — the black bean sauce is best served hot over noodles or whole grain rice!