jjajangmyeon

learned how to make jjajangmyun this year. turns out its almost exactly like making korean curry. one difference is that i chop the vegetables finer.

start with some slices of samgyeopsal, diced finely and cooked until crispy. the same usual curry/stew suspects are here: potatoes, carrots and onions






a few minutes before the veggies are ‘done’, add in spoonfuls of jjajang sauce and a couple more spoonfuls of peanut oil and make sure the jjajang is dry-fried well. afterwards add water, bring to boil, then thicken with a little cornstarch slurry.






cook the noodles in a large pot and while they cook, turn the heat to low on the sauce and steam frozen peas and chopped jumbo shrimp under a lid







steamed perfectly. sauce is done






mix well...






the small bowl of (cold) noodles is for max. ive given him sauced noodles before but it was a _really_ long day (battery on the car is dying. almost needed a jump) and he was also very very well fed. so the noodles were more for his entertainment.

if you give him sauced noodles, it takes 10 minutes after dinner to clean the whole room up. and another 10 minutes to wipe him down







often served with danmuji but i hate danmuji. we only eat takuan and there is no takuan where i live.

also peas arent always used. often ppl add zucchini as part of the stir fry step and garnish the dish with fresh shredded cucumber (in addition to the foul danmuji).

otherwise, this is pretty typical.







there are oatmeal remnants (next to his left hand) that he ate with dad while i was cooking and a mum mum behind the bowl (his right hand). and before that hed had like a dozen graham crackers and lots of yogurt and cheerios.

we were able to eat without any crying or any screaming. he was rather quietly enjoying himself.






glad we did not sauce