Jjajangmyeon Ramen: Lee Yeon-bok Chef’s Life-Changing Ramen from ‘How Do You Play?’
Jjajangmyeon Ramen: Lee Yeon-bok Chef’s Life-Changing Ramen from ‘How Do You Play?’
Jjajangmyeon Ramen: The Ultimate Life Ramen from ‘How Do You Play?’ featuring Chef Lee Yeon-bok
There are currently two buzzworthy instant jjajangmyeon recipes circulating. Among them, I’ve recreated the ‘life ramen’ featured on Yoo Jae-suk’s show ‘How Do You Play?’, specially crafted by Chef Lee Yeon-bok. While the original recipe calls for 3 sauce packets with 2 ramen packs, I opted for 2 sauce packets as I wasn’t entirely keen on using that much. For your reference, I’ve listed Chef Lee Yeon-bok’s original ingredient proportions separately. This recipe offers a detailed, step-by-step guide to enjoying a deeply flavorful jjajangmyeon ramen right in your own kitchen!
Ingredients- 2 packs Jjajangmyeon ramen
- 2 Jjajangmyeon sauce packets (or adjust to taste)
- 1.5 medium onions
- 1 stalk green onion
- 1 slice pork belly (approx. 100g)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 Tbsp cooking wine (mirin or similar)
- 2-3 Tbsp hot water (for adjusting consistency)
- A handful of baby greens
- 1 fried egg
Chef Lee Yeon-bok’s Original Version- 2 packs Jjajangmyeon ramen
- 3 Jjajangmyeon sauce packets
- 2 medium onions
- 2 slices pork belly (approx. 200g)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 ladle of noodle water (approx. 50ml)
- Shredded cucumber
- 1 fried egg
- 2 packs Jjajangmyeon ramen
- 3 Jjajangmyeon sauce packets
- 2 medium onions
- 2 slices pork belly (approx. 200g)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 ladle of noodle water (approx. 50ml)
- Shredded cucumber
- 1 fried egg
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables. Finely chop the green onion. Slice the onions into thick strips. Using larger pieces of vegetables adds a pleasant texture to the final dish.
Step 2
Cut the pork belly into bite-sized pieces. Avoid cutting them too small, as they might break apart during cooking. Aim for pieces that are easy to eat.
Step 3
Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped green onions and stir-fry until fragrant. Once the aroma of the green onion is released, add the pork belly and cooking wine. Stir-fry until the pork belly is golden brown. The cooking wine helps to remove any unwanted pork odor.
Step 4
Once the pork belly is cooked, add the thickly sliced onions to the pan. Sauté them together with the pork until the onions become translucent and release their sweet fragrance. Cooking the onions thoroughly will bring out their natural sweetness, enhancing the flavor of the jjajang sauce.
Step 5
Now, it’s time to cook the noodles. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the ramen noodles and the dried vegetable mix from the two jjajangmyeon packs. Cook them for slightly less time than indicated on the package. Slightly undercooked noodles will maintain a better texture when stir-fried later, preventing them from becoming mushy.
Step 6
Drain the cooked noodles using a colander and immediately transfer them to the pan with the sautéed vegetables and pork. Add the two jjajangmyeon sauce packets and 2-3 tablespoons of hot water. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more hot water to reach your desired consistency. Stir-fry everything quickly and vigorously to combine the noodles with the sauce, creating a rich gan-jjajang flavor. (Tip: If you feel the seasoning is lacking, you can add a tiny bit of oyster sauce or soy sauce. However, in this recipe, we haven’t added any extra seasoning.)
Step 7
Plate the completed gan-jjajang ramen attractively. Garnish with a small amount of baby greens and a perfectly fried egg on top. Congratulations, you’ve successfully recreated Chef Lee Yeon-bok’s special gan-jjajang ramen! Enjoy your delicious meal!
