What is Korean Chewy Noodles (Jjolmyeon, 쫄면)
Korean chewy noodles (jjolmyeon) has two meanings.
Firstly, jjolmyeon describes the chewy noodles as a cooking ingredient. It is made of wheat flour, corn starch, cooking wine and salt etc. Also, it is an accidental by-product of naengmyeon noodles.
While the discovery may have been accidental, spicy chewy noodles (also called jjolmyeon) are one of the most popular noodle dishes in Korea. These spicy chewy noodles are mixed with various fresh vegetables (e.g. cucumber, carrots and cabbage), hard boiled eggs, sweet, tangy and spicy sauce and of course, jjolmyeon – the chewy noodles.
The below jjolmyeon noodles are what I used in my recent jjolmyeon recipe. It contains 5 serving portions (1kg, 2.2 pounds) and is available for AUD $7.60 (as of June 2015). It didn’t include any sauce with it but some brands also include the spicy sauce. I found this packet in the freezer section at a Korean grocery store but if you’re in Korea, these noodles can be found in the fridge section.
Also, these jjolmyeon noodles can be used in jjolbokki (쫄볶이, Korean spicy rice cakes with chewy noodles). Jjolbokki is very similar to rabokki (ramen + tteokbokki) but instead of using ramyeon (라면, Korean instant ramen noodles), it is made with jjolmyeon noodles.
Hello, Sue! My husband bought two large packs of jjolmyeon, is there any other recipe aside from cold noodles that I can use it with? Thank you 😀
You can use jjolmyeon noodles in rabokki recipe ( https://mykoreankitchen.com/rabokki/). Basically, you’re replacing the instant ramen noodles with jjolmyeon noodles. Enjoy!
Do you make beef cutlets?
Hello Sue! With the heat starting in my area, I want to start doing more cold Korean dishes. I like making my own noodles at home as a side-hobby, do you know if I can find a Jjolmyeon noodle recipe anywhere? Thanks so much!
No, I haven’t come across any jjolmyeon noodle recipe. It’s easy to buy, you know. 🙂 But I will let you know when I come across one or I come up with one.
How is jjolmyeon different from the noodles used for japchae? Can I swap the noodles?
Hi Daphne, Ingredients for those two noodles are different. Japchae is mostly (90%) made with sweet potato starch and Jjolmyeon is mostly made with wheat and corn starch. The composition will vary depending on brands, of course. If you make Jjolmyeon with Japchae noodles, the texture would be weird. 🙂 I don’t know; you can try it. But I won’t. 🙂
My goodness from your korean marinades to your recipes ….LADY juz FABULOUS !! Grazie for sharing your natural talent ….
OOone of your number one follower’s …
Make it a wonderful week end… ; *
Thanks, Marlena! I’m glad that you liked my Korean marinades. (I’m not sure which recipe you’re referring to. 😉 ) Nonetheless, thanks for following me. You have a great weekend too!