Noodles · Korean home cooking

Spicy kimchi jajang ramyeon

Name: Spicy kimchi jajang ramyeon
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: Instant Korean black-bean noodle packs with included sauce; Water for boiling noodles; Kimchi, chopped and squeezed; Onion, thinly sliced; Gochugaru Korean chilli flakes; Neutral cooking oil; Spring onion, sliced

Tangy sautéed kimchi and a small pinch of Korean chilli flakes cut through the sweet-savoury black-bean sauce for a quick spicy variation.

20 min2 servings6 stepsDifficulty: Easy

AI-generated cooking illustrations. Follow the written quantities and instructions.

01 / Before you start

Ingredients

2 servings

Everyday kitchen measurements

For 2 servings. Use a small 180 ml paper cup, a level eating spoon (about 15 ml) and a small teaspoon (about 5 ml).

How to fill the cup and spoons

Use the same cup and spoons throughout. Their sizes vary, so these amounts are approximate. Spoon flour in loosely and level the top without pressing. Measure vegetables after chopping, without packing them down. The amounts in g/ml are the original reference quantities. For part of a pack, use the specified pack weight and divide the contents evenly.

King Arthur Baking

Essential, optional and substitute ingredients

Keep essential ingredients. For a replacement, use its listed amount and cooking changes instead of that ingredient’s original amount. Skip optional ingredients and their preparation if omitted. Photos show the original recipe.

Instant Korean black-bean noodle packs with included sauce2 packsOriginal quantity: about 280 g total
Substitute available
If Instant Korean black-bean noodle packs with included sauce is unavailable

Use instead
Plain instant noodle blocks plus ready-to-eat Korean black-bean sauce

Substitute quantity
2 blocks + ½ paper cup sauceReference quantity: about 200 g noodles + 90 g sauce

Cook the plain noodles to their packet time. Use the ready-to-eat sauce instead of the missing powder sachets; it may already contain salt and oil, so start with less noodle water.
Water for boiling noodles5 paper cupsOriginal quantity: 900 ml
Essential
Boil noodles in 900 ml water. Before draining, save ⅔ paper cup (120 ml) of this water; you will add only what the sauce needs.
Kimchi, chopped and squeezed½ paper cupOriginal quantity: 90 g
Substitute available
If Kimchi, chopped and squeezed is unavailable

Use instead
Well-drained fermented cabbage plus gochugaru

Substitute quantity
½ paper cup cabbage + ½ small teaspoon chilli flakesReference quantity: 90 g + about 1 g

The substitute is less tangy and less like kimchi; avoid sweet pickles and taste before adding more chilli.
Onion, thinly sliced½ small onionOriginal quantity: about 50 g
Optional
Leave out if unavailable; the kimchi still gives the sauce flavour.
Gochugaru Korean chilli flakes1 small teaspoonOriginal quantity: about 2 g
Optional
Leave out for a milder bowl. If the kimchi is already hot, begin with only half a teaspoon.
Neutral cooking oil1 small teaspoonOriginal quantity: 5 ml
Optional
Use only enough to keep the kimchi from sticking; omit if using an included oil sachet.
Spring onion, sliced1 stalkOriginal quantity: 20 g
Optional
Scatter on at the end; omit if unavailable.

Tap each ingredient as you prepare it. Check product labels for egg, soy, sesame, wheat, fish or shellfish where relevant.

02 / You’re ready to cook

Step-by-step cooking

Step 1

Open both instant black-bean noodle packs. Set aside the full sauce sachets and any dried-vegetable or oil sachets. Chop the kimchi and squeeze out most of its brine so the final sauce will not be watery. Slice the optional onion and spring onion.
Step 1
Step 2

Warm a wide nonstick pan over medium heat. Add optional 1 small teaspoon of oil, then the squeezed kimchi and optional onion. Stir for 3–4 minutes until the onion softens and the kimchi edges lightly caramelize. Add up to 1 small teaspoon of gochugaru only if you want more heat; stir for 20 seconds without burning the flakes.
Step 2
Step 3

Boil 5 paper cups (900 ml) water in a separate pot. Add the two noodle blocks and any dried-vegetable sachets. Cook about 3–4 minutes, or one minute less than the packet time. Save ⅔ paper cup (120 ml) noodle water in a heat-safe cup, then drain the noodles.
Step 3
Step 4

Turn the kimchi pan to low heat. Add the drained noodles and both full black-bean sauce sachets. If the sauce is powder, add 4 level eating spoons (60 ml) saved noodle water; if liquid, start with 2 level eating spoons (30 ml). Stir until the seasoning dissolves and coats the kimchi.
Step 4
Step 5

Toss for 30–60 seconds until the noodles are glossy and the kimchi is evenly mixed. Add extra saved water 1 level eating spoon at a time only if the sauce looks dry; stop before the pan becomes soupy. Taste before adding any extra salt, because kimchi and packet sauce are both seasoned.
Step 5
Step 6

Turn off the heat and divide into two bowls. Add optional spring onion and serve immediately. The finished dish is spicy even without extra chilli flakes; for a less hot bowl, rinse and squeeze the kimchi briefly before frying and leave out the gochugaru.
Step 6

03 / Enjoy your meal

Finished dish

Helpful tips

Use well-drained kimchi so the black-bean sauce stays thick. Kimchi varies greatly in heat and salt, and packet sauces vary in liquid content. Begin with less water for liquid sauce and omit extra gochugaru if serving someone sensitive to spice.