Jjajangmyun (Noodles with blackbean sauce)

This is a vegetarian version of the dish I've enjoyed several times at Korean restaurants; there they serve it mostly with a little bit of pork. You can also try pork belly or chicken or shrimp, just stir-fry the meat in the first step in place of the mushrooms. This makes a thick chunky sauce; the restaurant version is thinner and definitely less chunky. Still delicious, though.

Jjajangmyun (Noodles with blackbean sauce)
Noodles (myun or other)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup fresh mushrooms (diced into 1/2 inch cubes)
7 Tbsp black bean paste
1 cup Asian radish (diced into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 cup sweet potato (diced into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 cup zucchini (diced into 1/2 inch cubes)
2 cups onion (diced into 1/2 inch cubes)
2-3 Tbsp potato or corn starch
1 Tbsp sugar
sesame oil, for drizzling
cucumber, diced small

Heat a small skillet over medium heat with 2 tbs of vegetable oil. Fry mushrooms for 2 minutes, until cooked. Then add black bean paste and stir fry for 1 minute; set aside.

Cook radish and sweet potato in a wok over medium high heat in olive oil and saute for 2 minutes. Then add zucchini and onion and saute for another 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of water, close the lid and boil it for 15-20 minutes.

Open the lid of the wok and skim off the foam from the surface. When the vegetables are cooked, add the fried mushroom and black bean paste from the small skillet and stir it up.

Mix potato starch powder (or corn starch) with 2 tablespoons water and add it into the boiling soup and stir it. then the soup ill turn into a sticky sauce. Add 1 tbs sugar to the sauce and stir.

Cook noodles faccording to the direction on the package.

Reheat the jjajang sauce and put it over the noodles.