Vegan Jjajang Bap (짜장밥)

Jjajang bap (짜장밥) is a variation of the popular Jjajang myeon (짜장면), a savory dish consisting of a creamy black bean sauce served with either noodles (myeon) or rice (bap). This dish is typically a Chinese dish that went through a few tweaks to cater to Koreans.

The black sauce is made from fermented black soybeans and is stir fried with different vegetables to achieve a nutty and smoky taste.

The black bean sauce can be purchased at your local Asian grocery store. There are two different types – one that has been fermented and the other that has been fermented AND roasted. The roasted black bean sauce eliminates the need to sauté the black bean sauce in the pan.

Grab some leftover rice and serve with a warm and creamy bowl of jjangjang bap!

quick notes

As mentioned above, the black bean sauce can be purchased at your local Asian store. There are two different types – roasted and unroasted black bean sauce. Unroasted black bean sauce needs to be sautéed before mixing in rest of the ingredients.

VEGAN JJAJANG BAP

Vegetables and seasoning

½ zucchini, cubed

½ large onion, diced

2 cups shiitake mushrooms

Bunch of cabbage

1 cup of vegetable stock or water

1 tbsp mirin

Heat oil in a pan and sauté onions until translucent. Add in mushrooms, zucchini and cabbage and continue to sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add in Korean black bean paste and stock or water. Stir in mirin and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

Starch mixture

1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch

¼ cup water

Combine ingredients together until arrowroot or cornstarch is dissolved and add to pan. Stir until mixture begins to thicken.

Garnish

2 cups rice

cucumber, thinly sliced

Evenly divide rice onto plates and scoop a ladle of black bean sauce onto the plates. Serve warm and enjoy!

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