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Jajangmyun aka brown/black sauce noodles. I see this a lot in K-dramas. They make it look like its the bomb. Is it really that good? Has anyone tried it? I read that it originated from China. Anyway, a fast food Chinese joint near my house has this dish in their secret menu. I'm going to try it tomorrow.
I have tried it just about 3 weeks ago, it's pretty good. But eat it with the cucumber, kimchi and other side dishes it comes with. You have to mix up the sauce and eat it. It's better than the instant jajangmyun ones I've bought.
You can also find this dish in Szechuanese cuisine.
Koreans will tell you Koreans invented it, and Chinese will tell you Chinese invented it. Short of doing an archaeological study, I don't know which side is right. I might be biased, but I'd say it's the Chinese. At least until more recent times, the influences generally flowed outward from China to the rest of East Asia, not the other way around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Cheng
In the Korean dramas I've seen, they've all credited it to Chinese origins. I haven't heard any claim of it being invented by Koreans.
The brown sauce is just black soybean sauce. "Jajangmyeon (alternately spelled jjajangmyeon; 자장면; 짜장면) is a popular Korean dish, derived from the Chinese dish zha jiang mian. It consists of wheat noodles topped with a thick sauce made of chunjang (a salty black soybean paste), diced meat and vegetables, and sometimes also seafood. Jajang (alternately spelled jjajang), the name of the sauce, is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese characters 炸醬, which literally means "fried sauce." Myeon (also spelled myun) means "noodle." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jajangmyeon
I have...endlessly, from my students/friends of Korean heritage. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Suet Seung
It's become almost like a running joke between us: every time we encounter something that was (according to my father and most history books) invented by the Chinese, my Korean students/friends claim that the Koreans actually invented it...or at least, took the crappy Chinese prototype and improved the hell out of it. According to these friends/students of mine, everything invented by the Chinese was actually invented by the Koreans...or the Koreans took the original Chinese invention and improved it 1000%.
I sometimes don't know if they're serious or kidding when they tell me this stuff. It sounds too ridiculous to believe sometimes, but they're dead serious about it.
Ken, I think your students/friends are just misinformed. Every Korean that I know have always referred to this as the Korean version of a Chinese dish. Most Chinese-Korean restaurants will carry this. I've tried it a few times and it's definitely quite yummy. It can get a little messy but it's worth it.
Their favorite claim (whether it's food, ancient technology, martial arts, etc.) is that either the Koreans invented it and the Chinese just took credit for it, or the Chinese invented a really crappy version that the Koreans improved and made great.Quote:
Originally Posted by jadebunny9
It's a Korean pride thing, I guess... :)
I finally got to try it. It's delicious but quite saucy though. Unfortunately the place where I got it didn't serve with side dishes. I will try it from a Chinese restaurant next time just to see the difference.
In Singapore, we call such noodle, Mee Goreng.
I think Mee Goreng might be something else. It sounds a lot like the Indonesian Mi goreng, which shouldn't taste anything like jajangmyun, but instead has the sweet soy sauce flavor.Quote:
Originally Posted by remember_Cedric
Ok, my attempt at confusing the foodie lot has failed. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by jadebunny9
Yes, bunbun, u r right abt Mee = Mi :D
That aside, I have tried Zha Jiang mian before and I thought it is one kind of Goreng noodle too. The principle of Goreng is there, hmmm, no? :p
Here's a picture from the last time I had Jajangmyun a few months ago. Of course, this is after I had mixed it up.
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Lots of places in Korea town are Chinese restaurants owned by koreans. Most places serve black bean noodle with kimchi and yellow radish, and brown onion with a side of black bean sauce. It is good in moderation. For me, I can never finish a whole portion and get sick of it. My homemade version uses lots of squash, cabbage, and potatoes. I also omit the pork because it is quite fatty.
The picture makes me crave. I love the noodles, it looks like it so tasty and very yummy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Suet Seung
Omg I'm totally craving some right now. At this very hour too. =(