While items like bulgogi, bibim bap, and japchae have become quite familiar to Korean food lovers here in the States, there is a lesser known subsection of Korean cuisine that is quite popular with Koreans everywhere: Chinese-Korean.

And one of the most popular dishes from Chinese-Korean cuisine is a noodle dish called jjajang myun, literally black bean paste (jjajang) noodles (myun).It's many a Korean kid's spaghetti, and I ate it all the time when I was little.

Black bean paste in both Chinese and Korean cuisines has a very salty, nutty, toasty, deep, rich umami to it, and though it looks and tastes a little intimidating right out of the jar, it's delicious when used in the right quantities and mellowed by other ingredients and cooking techniques.

In this dish, it's mixed with sauteed pork, onions, carrots, zucchini, and potatoes in a deliciously savory sauce served over noodles.

When I don't have chow mein noodles on hand, I serve the sauce over spaghetti noodles cooked 3 or 4 minutes past al dente to mimic the softer texture of chow mein noodles. Rice is also commonly used in lieu of noodles in many Korean households, but in that case, you'd call it jjajang bap (bap meaning rice) instead of jjajang myun.

Julienned cucumbers are a typical garnish to add refreshing crunch, and kimchi and dakuang (a sweet-salty pickled daikon) are usually served on the side.