Jjolmyeon
Jjolmyeon (쫄면) is both the name of this dish and the type of noodles used to make it. These wheat-based noodles have a fabulous chewy quality, due to the way they are made – during manufacture, the dough is heated to 130-150˚C and extruded under pressure. Served with plenty of crunchy raw veggies and the lusciously thick, goopy, sweet-spicy sauce, their bouncy texture really shines. You’ll need to scurry to a Korean grocer for a few staple items, including the noodles, but once you’ve made this, you’ll be totally hooked. It’s addictive. Add more or less of anything to the sauce to taste; less gochugaru if you prefer less spice, for example, or a bit more vinegar if you want it bite-ier.
SERVES 4
600g jjolmyeon noodles (available from Korean food stores)
200g (3 heaped cups) soybean sprouts
150g ( about 2 cups) finely shredded green cabbage
1 carrot, finely shredded
1 Lebanese cucumber, finely shredded
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
Sweet-spicy sauce
170g (about ⅓ cup) gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli powder)
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2½ tbsp apple juice, approximately
2½ tbsp Korean rice syrup
1½ tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
For the sweet-spicy sauce, put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine well, adding a little more gochujang, to taste, and more apple juice if it is too thick.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil for the soybean sprouts, then cook the sprouts for 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain, cool in a bowl of iced water, then drain again. Transfer to several layers of kitchen paper to dry thoroughly. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil for the noodles.
Cook the noodles for 8-9 minutes until tender, or according to the packet directions. Drain well, then rinse under cold water, adding some ice cubes to the colander to help the noodles cool quickly if you like; they should be very cold. Drain again.
Divide the noodles among serving bowls, mounding them in the centre. Pile over the sprouts, cabbage, carrot and cucumber, then spoon over the sauce. Top with an egg half, scatter over sesame seeds to taste, then serve.
