Jjajangmeyeon (Korean Black Bean Sauce Noodles)

Cook 200 g fresh wheat noodles (or 150g dried wheat noodles) in a pot of boiling water. To keep the noodles chewy, cook them for 1 minute less than the instructions recommend.

Once they're cooked, strain them out into a colander and rinse them with cold water immediately. Add a teaspoon of oil and mix it in. This will prevent the noodles from sticking together.

Begin by thinly slicing ⅓ cucumber into small, matchstick-like pieces. This will be used as a garnish for the finished dish, set the aside for the very end.

Next, cut 1 small potatointo small, evenly-sized ¼ cubes. I don't peel my potatoes, but if you prefer them peeled, you can peel them before cutting them. Set them aside for later.

After that, finely dice 1 small onion into small ¼ inch pieces. Then, finely mince 1 clove garlic clove. Set these both aside for later.

Cut the 150 g pork belly (or bacon), into 1/2 inch pieces, and set it aside for later.

In a large skillet or frying pan, heat oil on medium heat and pan-fry the onions until they're fragrant and slightly brown. Then add in the pork belly and cook it for a few more minutes.

Add more oil to the pan. Then add in 2 tablespoons sugar and 5 tablespoons Korean black bean sauce (chunjang) and toast it in the oil for about 2 minutes to caramelize it.

Next add in the potatoes and minced garlic and cook it with the sauce for about 1 minute.

Adjust the heat to medium-low, add 1½ cups chicken broth or water, and mix everything until it is evenly mixed. If there are any burnt brown bits on the bottom of the pan (called the Fond), scrape them with a wooden spoon into the broth for more flavor. Let it simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes.

While we wait for the sauce to simmer, mix 1 tablespoon potato starch (or cornstarch) with 1½ tablespoon cold water in a separate small bowl to make a slurry. This will be used to thicken the sauce later.

Once the jjajang sauce has finished simmering, give the starch slurry a quick stir (the starch will settle at the bottom) and slowly pour it into the sauce. Keep stirring for a minute or two until the sauce thickens.

The noodles may be clumped together in the colander. Rinse it with cold water again and wiggle it under running water with your fingers to loosen it up into individual strands again. Make sure you drain them well so there isn't any excess water in the bowl, which will water down your sauce.

Add the noodles to a bowl or a large plate, then ladle the jjajang sauce on top of them.

Garnish with your julienne cucumbers on top or the side of the plate.

Enjoy this delicious Korean Chinese noodle dish.