Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles)
Noodle dishes
Thick wheat noodles covered in a glossy black sauce of fried chunjang (black bean paste), pork and onions, served at Korean-Chinese restaurants with pickled yellow radish and raw onion on the side.
Why this list cannot be complete
Many Korean restaurants are franchises whose recipes are not published, and shops create their own versions of the same dish. A menu name often does not tell you what is inside. This page covers the traditional recipe and the variations that have spread widely, not every shop.
When you are not sure what a shop puts in, show your card to say what you cannot eat, or show the list below and ask the staff to point to what is in theirs.
What usually goes in
이 음식에 아래 재료 중 들어가는 것이 있나요?
For the staff: does this dish contain any of the ingredients below?
The jajangmyeon noodles are pulled from wheat flour dough, and the black chunjang paste in the sauce is itself made mostly from wheat flour, so wheat is in both the noodles and the topping.
Chunjang, the black paste that gives jajang sauce its color, is fermented from soybeans along with flour, and many cooks also add soy sauce while stir-frying.
Diced pork is stir-fried with the chunjang and onions to make the jajang sauce, so the meat is cooked into the sauce rather than placed on top.
Onion is the main vegetable stir-fried into the black sauce, and a small dish of raw sliced onion is usually served alongside for dipping in chunjang.
Garlic is one of the aromatics many cooks fry into the jajang sauce, but some recipes build the sauce from only chunjang, pork and vegetables, so ask.
Some kitchens season the black sauce with oyster sauce alongside or instead of soy sauce, and the seafood version adds mussels.
Squid is the seafood most often stir-fried into the jajang sauce when a shop makes a seafood version, and some shops add it to the regular sauce too.
Shrimp can be cooked into the black sauce or laid on the noodles as a blanched topping, and it is standard in the seafood version.
Plain jajangmyeon is often topped with cucumber strips, and a fried or boiled egg or thin egg strips may be added as well, especially on the dry-fried version.
Pork is the usual meat in the black sauce, but some shops use beef instead.
- Usually in it
- Most kitchens put this in. Assume it is there unless the staff tell you otherwise.
- Sometimes in it
- It depends on the recipe and the brand of sauce, so it is worth asking.
- Rarely in it
- The usual recipe does not call for it, but some kitchens still use it.
Checked 10 of the 33 ingredients this site covers. An ingredient that is not listed here has simply not been checked yet — that is not the same as it not being in the dish.
This page describes how the dish is usually made in Korea. Every kitchen works differently, so always show your card and ask the staff before you order.
Going on your card
- Wheat (밀)
- Soybean (대두)
- Pork (돼지고기)
- Onion (양파)
- Garlic (마늘)
- Shellfish (조개류 · 굴 · 전복)
- Squid (오징어)
- Shrimp (새우)
- Eggs (알류)
- Beef (쇠고기)
Common variations
If you see one of these names on a menu, expect the ingredients below on top of the basic dish. Shops differ, so check with the staff.
- 삼선짜장Seafood jajangmyeon (samseon jajang)
Adds: Squid (오징어), Shrimp (새우), Shellfish (조개류 · 굴 · 전복)
Squid, shrimp and mussels are stir-fried into the black sauce, sometimes with sea cucumber.
- 간짜장Dry-fried jajangmyeon (gan-jajang)
Adds: Eggs (알류)
The sauce is fried without stock or starch and served beside the noodles, often with a fried or boiled egg on top.
- 짜장밥Jajang rice (jajangbap)
Adds: Eggs (알류), Squid (오징어), Shellfish (조개류 · 굴 · 전복), Shrimp (새우)
The same black sauce goes over rice instead of noodles, usually with an egg on top; the chunjang in the sauce still contains wheat. It is commonly served with a small bowl of jjamppong broth, which can carry squid, shellfish and shrimp.
Diets
- VeganNot suitable
The standard black sauce is stir-fried with pork.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarianNot suitable
Pork is cooked into the standard black sauce, so it is hard to pick out.
- HalalNot suitable
Pork is a standard ingredient of the jajang sauce.
- No porkNot suitable
The usual meat stir-fried into the black sauce is pork.
Other dishes with the same ingredients
- Budae-jjigae (army base stew)Pork · Wheat · Soybean · Garlic · Onion — Usually in it / Beef · Shrimp · Squid · Shellfish (incl. oyster, abalone, mussel) — Sometimes in it
- Jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup)Wheat · Squid · Shellfish (incl. oyster, abalone, mussel) · Pork · Soybean · Garlic · Onion — Usually in it / Shrimp · Beef — Sometimes in it
- Gamjatang (pork bone stew)Pork · Soybean · Garlic · Wheat · Onion — Usually in it
Read more
- Soy in Korean foodWhere this ingredient hides across Korean food
- Gluten-free travel in KoreaWhere wheat hides in sauces and broths
- Vegan dining in KoreaWhere meat and seafood hide in Korean cooking
- Emergency allergy help in KoreaWhat to do and say if a reaction starts
- Halal food in KoreaWhere pork, alcohol, and non-halal meat hide in Korean cooking
- Temple food and Buddhist vegetarian dining in KoreaWhere garlic, green onion, and other pungent vegetables hide
Sources we checked
Each finding on this page lists the recipes and references it is based on. Source titles appear in their original language and are not translated, and each link opens the other site in a new tab.
Show the 13 sources behind each finding
What usually goes in
Wheat · Usually in it
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Tianmian sauce" — roughly 95% wheat flour to 5% soybean; Korean chunjang used to make jajang for jajangmyeon and jajang-bap (opens in a new tab)
- Jayone Foods, "Chunjang (SingSong) Black Bean Paste for Jjajang" — ingredients: water, wheat flour, caramel, soybean, salt, grain alcohol, wheat rice, MSG, koji (opens in a new tab)
Soybean · Usually in it
- 위키백과, 「춘장」 — 밀가루와 콩으로 만드는 톈몐장에 캐러멜을 섞은 춘장 (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- Jayone Foods, "Chunjang (SingSong) Black Bean Paste for Jjajang" — ingredients: water, wheat flour, caramel, soybean, salt, grain alcohol, wheat rice, MSG, koji (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「고기듬뿍 짜장면 만들기」 — 돼지고기 · 양파 · 춘장 · 다진생강 · 다진마늘 · 간장 · 굴소스 · 생면 (opens in a new tab)
Pork · Usually in it
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「짜장면」 — 밀면 위에 춘장 · 채소 · 돼지고기로 만든 검은 소스, 양파가 주재료 (opens in a new tab)
Onion · Usually in it
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「짜장면」 — 밀면 위에 춘장 · 채소 · 돼지고기로 만든 검은 소스, 양파가 주재료 (opens in a new tab)
Garlic · Sometimes in it
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「고기듬뿍 짜장면 만들기」 — 돼지고기 · 양파 · 춘장 · 다진생강 · 다진마늘 · 간장 · 굴소스 · 생면 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「백선생, 백종원 중국집 짜장면 만들기」 — 양파 · 양배추 · 돼지고기 · 오이 · 파 · 춘장 · 설탕 · 물전분 (마늘 · 굴소스 없음) (opens in a new tab)
Shellfish · Sometimes in it
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Oyster sauce" — sauces made by cooking oysters; modern version from oyster extracts, sugar, salt and water (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「고기듬뿍 짜장면 만들기」 — 돼지고기 · 양파 · 춘장 · 다진생강 · 다진마늘 · 간장 · 굴소스 · 생면 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「춘장 간짜장 만들기」 — 춘장 · 돼지 다짐육 · 양파 · 다진마늘 · 간장 · 굴소스, 삶은 계란이나 계란후라이를 올림 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「삼선짜장」 — 동네 중국집은 홍합 · 오징어 · 냉동 깐새우 혹은 생새우, 본래는 해삼 혹은 전복 (opens in a new tab)
Squid · Sometimes in it
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「삼선짜장」 — 동네 중국집은 홍합 · 오징어 · 냉동 깐새우 혹은 생새우, 본래는 해삼 혹은 전복 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「삼선간짜장 만들기」 — 돼지고기 · 새우 · 오징어 · 불린 해삼 · 춘장 · 굴소스 (opens in a new tab)
Shrimp · Sometimes in it
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「삼선짜장」 — 동네 중국집은 홍합 · 오징어 · 냉동 깐새우 혹은 생새우, 본래는 해삼 혹은 전복 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「삼선간짜장 만들기」 — 돼지고기 · 새우 · 오징어 · 불린 해삼 · 춘장 · 굴소스 (opens in a new tab)
Eggs · Sometimes in it
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「춘장 간짜장 만들기」 — 춘장 · 돼지 다짐육 · 양파 · 다진마늘 · 간장 · 굴소스, 삶은 계란이나 계란후라이를 올림 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「백선생, 백종원 중국집 짜장면 만들기」 — 양파 · 양배추 · 돼지고기 · 오이 · 파 · 춘장 · 설탕 · 물전분 (마늘 · 굴소스 없음) (opens in a new tab)
Beef · Sometimes in it
Common variations
삼선짜장 · Seafood jajangmyeon (samseon jajang)
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「삼선짜장」 — 동네 중국집은 홍합 · 오징어 · 냉동 깐새우 혹은 생새우, 본래는 해삼 혹은 전복 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「삼선간짜장 만들기」 — 돼지고기 · 새우 · 오징어 · 불린 해삼 · 춘장 · 굴소스 (opens in a new tab)
간짜장 · Dry-fried jajangmyeon (gan-jajang)
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「춘장 간짜장 만들기」 — 춘장 · 돼지 다짐육 · 양파 · 다진마늘 · 간장 · 굴소스, 삶은 계란이나 계란후라이를 올림 (opens in a new tab)
짜장밥 · Jajang rice (jajangbap)
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Tianmian sauce" — roughly 95% wheat flour to 5% soybean; Korean chunjang used to make jajang for jajangmyeon and jajang-bap (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「짜장밥」 — 흰쌀밥 위에 계란(프라이 · 부침 · 오믈렛)과 짜장 소스를 얹고 짬뽕 국물을 함께 냄 (opens in a new tab)
Diets
Vegan · Not suitable
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「짜장면」 — 밀면 위에 춘장 · 채소 · 돼지고기로 만든 검은 소스, 양파가 주재료 (opens in a new tab)
Lacto-ovo vegetarian · Not suitable
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「짜장면」 — 밀면 위에 춘장 · 채소 · 돼지고기로 만든 검은 소스, 양파가 주재료 (opens in a new tab)
Halal · Not suitable
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「짜장면」 — 밀면 위에 춘장 · 채소 · 돼지고기로 만든 검은 소스, 양파가 주재료 (opens in a new tab)
No pork · Not suitable
- Wikipedia, "Jajangmyeon" — noodles of wheat flour, salt, baking soda and water; sauce of fried chunjang with soy sauce (or oyster sauce), meat (usually pork, sometimes beef), seafood (usually squid or shrimp), scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini or cabbage; toppings of cucumber, egg garnish, boiled or fried egg, blanched shrimp; served with danmuji and raw onion; gan-jjajang without stock and starch; samseon-jjajang with squid and mussel; jajang-bap with rice (opens in a new tab)
- 위키백과, 「짜장면」 — 밀가루를 반죽해 늘린 굵은 국수, 돼지고기 · 양파 등에 춘장을 넣어 볶은 양념; 간짜장 · 삼선짜장(새우 · 오징어 · 해삼) · 짜장밥 (opens in a new tab)
- 나무위키, 「짜장면」 — 밀면 위에 춘장 · 채소 · 돼지고기로 만든 검은 소스, 양파가 주재료 (opens in a new tab)
Each dish is researched by hand from the sources we checked, and nothing here is generated automatically. Recipes vary from kitchen to kitchen, so always confirm with the staff before you order.