Wanjajeon Recipes

KOREAN BLACK BEAN SAUCE NOODLES (JAJANGMYEON)

Steps:

• Rinse the pork in cold water and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Add the pork marinade sauce onto the pork. Mix them well and leave it for 15 mins.
• Cut the onion, zucchini and potato into small cubes.
• Thin slice the mushrooms.
• Cut the cabbage into small to medium size pieces.
• Julienne cut the cucumber.
• Pre heat the wok until the bottom is heated well. Add the lard (or cooking oil) and melts it in the wok. Add the black bean paste and stir it constantly on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. (Try not to burn it.) Add the brown sugar and stir it for an additional 2 to 3 mins.
• Scoop out the black bean paste (without the oil) and set it aside. Leave the oil in the wok to use in the next step.
• Add the pork into the wok and stir until the pork is half cooked.
• Add the onion, zucchini, and potato and stir until all are 1/3 cooked (for 3 to 5 mins).
• Add the mushrooms and cabbages and stir for 2-3 mins.
• Add the black bean paste (from step 2) into the wok and mix it in with vegetables. Stir for 1 to 2 mins.
• Add the chicken stock, water and rice wine then simmer it for 5 to 7 mins on medium heat. (Cover the wok with a lid if possible. This will make the cooking process faster.)
• Add the slurry into the wok then stir it. (This will thicken the black sauce. It is the final stage of making the black bean sauce.)
• (While working on step 7) Boil some water in a pot and add the noodles when it starts to boil. Boil them until the noodles are cooked (for 3 to 5 mins).
• Rinse the noodles in cold water and drain. Put them into a serving bowl/plate.
• Add the black bean sauce (from the step 8) on top of the noodles. You can serve it as it is or decorate it with some cucumber slices, green peas or sweet corn or hardboiled egg.
• Mix the sauce and the noodles well with chopsticks. Dig in. (It is ideal to have them with some (yellow) pickled radish. Apparently it helps digestion. Also eat it up quickly before the noodles get swollen.)

WANJAJEON

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• For the meatballs: Place the tofu in a piece of cheesecloth or a kitchen towel and wring dry, squeezing to remove as much water as possible. (This also breaks up the tofu into small crumbles.) Crush any remaining large pieces of tofu by rubbing them between your fingers. It should all be finely crumbled and there should not be any big chunks left.
• Combine the crumbled tofu, beef, pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, scallion and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until the ingredients are well incorporated and the mixture comes together.
• Scoop the meat mixture into 18 to 20 meatballs (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each; see Cook's Note), placing them on a large baking sheet or plate. Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten into a 1/2-inch-thick patty, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Add the flour to a large rimmed plate and whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Heat a large nonstick skillet with 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-low heat.
• Dredge each patty in the flour, coating well on all sides. Smooth out any rough, uneven edges and shape the patty neatly. Working with one at a time, shake off excess flour, then dip and roll the patty around in the egg, making sure to coat thoroughly with no flour peeping through. (All the patties can be dredged and sitting in flour, but be sure to dip the patties in the egg one at a time.) Gently place the egg-coated patty in the heated skillet -- most of the egg will drip off to the bottom, creating a desirable "skirt" that will be served on top. (Do not move the patties around as the top needs to be clean and free of brown bits.) Repeat to add 8 or 9 more patties, or as many as will fit in the skillet without crowding.
• Cook without disturbing until the patties are light golden underneath, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until the other side is light golden, 4 to 5 minutes more.
• Transfer the cooked patties to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep warm in the oven.
• Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel and heat another 3 tablespoons oil over medium-low heat before cooking the next batch of patties.
• For the dipping sauce: Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, sugar and gochugaru (if using) in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Serve with the wanjajeon.