Step 1

Boil a pot of water:Prepare a pot of water on the back stove and bring it to boil. This will be for the noodles later.

Step 2

Stir fry the black bean paste (chunjang):In a small nonstick pan, heat up the ¼ cup of oil on medium heat. Add the black bean paste and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Make sure to stir constantly. Remove the black bean paste from heat and set aside until needed.

Step 3

Stir fry the pork belly and vegetables:Strain the leftover oil from the black bean sauce into a large pot. If needed, add a little more oil to the pot so that the bottom is lightly coated. Heat the pot over medium high heat and once the oil is hot, add the diced pork belly.

Step 4

Stir fry the pork belly for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown and most of fats are rendered. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry for about 10 to 20 seconds or until fragrant.

Step 5

Then, add the onion, zucchini, and cabbage. Stir fry the vegetables for a couple of minutes or until they just start to wilt slightly.

Step 6

Add the stir fried black bean sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar into the pork and vegetables and stir fry for a minute or until everything is evenly coated in the bean paste.

Step 7

Simmer the jajangmyeon sauce:Add the water and bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to keep it at a moderate simmer. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes or to your desired saltiness.*Depending on the brand of noodles you are using, it may be saltier or bland. If your noodles are on the bland side, you may want to reduce the sauce a bit more so that it'll balance your noodles, and vice versa.*

Step 8

Cook the noodles:While the jajangmyeong is simmering, boil your noodles. Place the noodles into the pot of boiling water and cook according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain the noodles and rinse in cold water and drain well. Portion the noodles into serving plates/bowls.

Step 9

Finish the sauce and serve:After simmering the sauce, drizzle in the cornstarch slurry and give everything a stir. After a few seconds of simmering, the sauce will thicken and become super glossy.*The amount of cornstarch slurry listed is based on 10 to 15 minutes of moderate simmering. If you reduce the sauce more or less, you may need to adjust the amount of slurry used, accordingly.*

Step 10

Ladle the jajangmyeon sauce over the noodles and top the jajangmyeon with some julienned cucumbers.

Step 11

Serve the noodles while the sauce is hot. Mix the noodles and sauce to enjoy!