Jjapaghetti or Chapagetti – It’s Korea’s second best-selling instant noodles.
The name Jjapaghetti comes from combining the two words - jjajangmyeon and spaghetti.
Jjapaghetti was the first instant noodle in Korea that resembled the taste of Jjajangmyeon (Black Bean Noodles). The flavor was embraced well and it became a mega-hit in Korea - taking up to 88% of the Korean Instant Noodle market with annual sales of $134 million in 2012.
Nowadays, its lost market share – via a number of competing Instant Jjajangmyeon brands. But since it is the original – Jjapaghetti holds a special place in many people’s hearts.
It brings up memories from youth~
Today, I’ll show you how to transform this Instant Jjapaghetti noodles into a gourmet Jjajangmyeon - in less than 10 minutes!
Nothing fancy! All we need is an appetite and few fresh ingredients.
I think it’s a brilliant hack for people who want to fill their Jjajangmyeon craving. Normally, to make Jjajangmyeon, you need to first find Chunjang (black bean paste) and fry it in a small layer of oil (traditional recipe here).
But if that seems like too much, go with this recipe!
Cooking Notes:
This recipe will also work with other Instant Jjajangmyeon – no need to stick with Jjapaghetti (but do make sure that the instant noodles comes with powder black bean sauce)
3 Jajang powder packets will produce just enough sauce to spread over 2 cooked ramen noodles. (In other words, the recipe will produce 2 servings)
Don’t forget to save 2-3 soup ladles of the water used to boil the noodles. This starchy water will help thicken your Jjajangmyeon Sauce.
Boil the noodles for only 5 minutes – and afterwards, rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
To make Gan-Jjajang (a drier version of Jjajangmyeon and my favorite style), add in only ONE soup ladle of starch water.
For regular Jjajangmyeon, add in two scoops of starch water!
If you try making this upgraded version of Jjapaghetti at home, tag us on IG – we love flipping through your creations in the morning!
-Daniel Out 🕺
Ingredients
Instant Jjapaghetti Noodles (3 Packages)
- 3 Jjapaghetti Powder Packets
- 2 Ramen Noodles (we only need 2 noodles - not all 3)
Fresh Ingredients
- 2 stalks of Spring Onion (forearm length size)
- ½ a whole Onion
- 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 2-3 Soup ladles of Starch Water (when boiling noodles)
Meat & Seasoning
- 250 grams of Pork Loin (~½ lb)
- ½ Tablespoon of Mirim
- Few pinches Salt
- Few pinches Black Pepper
Instructions
Prep Ingredients
- Cut 2 Spring Onion stalks into small pieces. Finely dice ½ a whole Onion into small bite-sized pieces.
- Chop a piece of Pork Loin (250 grams) into bite-sized pieces. Season the pieces with ½ a Tablespoon of Mirim. Then season with a few pinches of Salt and Black pepper. Give it a mix with your hand.
- Open 3 Jjapaghetti Instant Noodles. Open up 3 Jjapaghetti Powder Packets. Then set aside 2 of the Ramen Noodles (we don't need all 3).
- Measure out 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil - set aside!
Stir-fry Fresh Ingredients
- Place a wok or large frying pan on MEDIUM heat. Put Olive Oil (3 Tablespoons) into the frying pan. Once its hot, place in the Spring Onion pieces.
- Once the spring onion pieces start to sizzle, place in the diced onions. Stir-fry around until the onion pieces turns translucent. Then add in the seasoned pork pieces.
- Stir-fry the pork pieces until most of the red is gone in the meat. Then turn off the heat - we'll quickly move to boiling our noodles
Boil Noodles
- Fill a pot with water and bring it up to boil. Once the water is boiling, add in the 2 ramen noodles. Place the noodles in and set timer for 5 minutes.
- After 4 minutes (before we finish boiling), scoop out 2-3 ladles of starch water. Set aside for later.
- Once its 5 minutes, the noodles are done. Drain the water and rinse the noodles under cold water. Set aside in a strainer and let it drip off excess water.
Finish Jjajangmyeon
- Place the stir-fry back on medium heat. Add in 3 Jjajangmyeon Powder Packets. Stir-fry it around. Once the powder is well mixed into the ingredients, add in 1 scoop of the starch water. Mix it around and let it simmer for 1 minute. (Note: If you want your Jajangmyeon to be more sauce, add-in another scoop of starch water.)
Plate Ramen
- Grab a handful of the cooked ramen. Place onto a plate. Then scoop on a few soup ladles worth of the Jjajangmyeon Sauce. Garnish with a few pinches of sliced green onion.
- Before eating, thoroughly mix the noodles with the black bean sauce. Bon Appetit!
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