Korean jjolmyeon are chewywheat noodles served chilled in a spicy, sweet and sour sauce with vegetables.
The word“jjolymyeon” literally translates to “chewy noodles” and refers to both the kind of noodles and this recipe. When you cook jjolymyeon they should beelastic and soft, but not tough orhard. Every brand of noodles is a bit different so I suggest you first cook the noodles for five minutes and take a sample to taste. If they’re soft and chewy with nothing hard inside, they’re well cooked. If not, cook them 1 or 2 minutes longer.
You can find jjolmyeon sold in the frozen section ofa Korean grocery store. There are 2 types of packages: a jjolmyeon set that includes the noodles and the sauce, anda package that just has thenoodles.
2 brandsof jjolmyeon noodles, sold without broth
I prefer to buy the justthe noodles and then make my own seasoning sauce at home, which ismore delicious and cheaper. If you’re in a hurry you can get the set with the sauce, but I suggest that when you make jjolymyoen with the kityou dress it up with more seasonings and vegetables, as well as an eggand some toasted gim. And if you can’t find jjolmyeon noodles near you, youcan replace them with anyother noodles you have on hand, even spaghetti noodles!
Jjolymyeon is a regular dishin Korean snack bar restaurants calledbunsikjip (분식집) that also usually serve inexpensive dishes that students love likegimbap, tteokbokki, and ramyeon. I like jjolmyeon but when it comes to cold noodles my favorite is still bibim-naengmyeon, where the noodles are thinner and darker.I also lovekimchi-bibimguksu, where the noodles are not chewy at all and are mixed with kimchi and gochujang (hot pepper paste).
But chewy jjolmyeon, mixed with the spicy sauce,soybean sprouts, vegetables, and toasted gim has such aunique refreshing flavor and texture that it’s unforgettable and has a special place on mymenu.
Try it out and make your summer more delightful! : )
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 1 pound of jjolmyeon noodles, thawed out in the fridge (substitute with any noodles you have)
- 12 ounces soybean sprouts
- 2 or 3 cabbage leaves, shredded thinly
- ¼ cups’ worth carrot, cut into matchsticks
- ½ of a seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 sheet of dried seaweed paper (gim), toasted and shredded, kept fresh in a plastic bag
- 1 hard-boiled egg, cut in halves
- 1 green onion, chopped
- kosher salt
For the seasoning sauce:
- ⅓ cup hot pepper paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 2 tablespoons white or apple vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons rice syrup (or corn syrup, or sugar)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Make the sauce and prepare the soybean sprouts
- Combineseasoning sauce ingredientstoa bowl and mix well.
- Pick out any rotten soybean sprouts, then rinse and drain a few times in cold water.
- Putthe soybean sprouts in a pot and add 2 cups water with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and boil for 12 minutes over medium heat.
- Puthalf of thesprouts in a large mixing bowl so they can cool down. What’s left in the pot will be served as a soup with the jjolmyeon, so keep it hot.
Cook the noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the noodles tothe boiling water.
- Stir with a wooden spoon or tongs occasionally so that they don’t stick to each other. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes over medium high heat.
- Take a sample to see if the noodles are cooked properly. They should be chewy but soft. If they’re not soft enough, cook them for another 1 or 2 minutes.
- Strain and rinse the noodles in icy cold water. Rub the noodles with your hands in the cold water toremove any excess starch and to cool them down. Strain.
Mix and serve
- Add shredded cabbage, shredded carrot, and the seasoning sauce to the bowl with soy bean sprouts. Mix it with the wooden spoon.
- Add the noodles, toasted sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Gently mix it up by hand. You can add a few pieces of ice cubes to make them cold. You can wear a plastic glove, if you want. It will be cold!
- Divide into 2 portions and put them into 2 large shallow bowls. Add cucumber, shredded gim, and half anegg on top.
- Add salt and some chopped green onion to the soybean sprout soup to your taste. Serve with the jjolmyeon.
Posted on Wednesday, May 24th, 2017. Last updated on January 10, 2023.
Recipe type: cold, main dish, noodle, one bowl meal, spicy, vegetarian
Tagged as chewy noodles, how to make jjolmyeon, 쫄면, jjolmyeon, jjolmyun, jolmyeon, Korean cooking, Korean cuisine, korean food, Korean kitchen, Korean spicy chewy noodles, Maangchi's chewy noodles recipe, sweet sour spicy chewy noodles, vegetarian noodles
