Chinese restaurants that are owned by Koreans often have a noodle dish called Cha Chjun Myun. I grew up eating an instant version of these noodles, which are sort of a thicker version of ramen. They come fried, dried and packaged, with a separate sauce packet and an optional palm oil packet. My mom would add green onions and maybe some leftover ham from breakfast. She called them black noodles because the sauce is black. Once on the noodles the sauce is actually brown so my sisters and I called them brown noodles.
When I was five, we went to Korea and that’s when I first had authentic, freshly made brown noodles. There’s nothing like the real thing. The instant variety doesn’t have the chew of the fresh noodles against the teeth or the silky dark sauce that splashes everywhere because the noodles are so long. Chunks of onion, some vegetables and meat add an extra dimension. The combination is unforgettable and so much better when fresh.
The noodles are sort of a Chinese Korean version of spaghetti, but they are always served with a dish of bright yellow sweet radish pickles and of course, kimchi. In some restaurants, they will serve the black sauce with raw onions as an accompaniment. I don’t know how to describe the sauce, but let me tell you how I think it’s made (based on what I’ve gleaned from my mom):
Of course, the amazing soybean is responsible for Cha Chjun Myun sauce. Mica and I will do a show on soy. It’s really underrated and undervalued by the average American. We must change this. I heard somewhere that the US is the biggest producer of soy. It's not just for hippies or cattlefeed! But I digress…
My mom remembers watching her grandmother make homemade tofu, soy sauce, miso and cha chjun. It’s basically a process of fermentation. After soybeans are ground and pressed, they become a block of tofu. Age that block with water and other stuff and it becomes soy sauce. That block of beans eventually becomes miso. Ferment it further and the liquid becomes soy sauce and when the block has become black, it’s cha chjun.
How to describe the taste for those of you that haven’t had it? It’s difficult. It’s salty before cooked, but once onions are added the taste is mellow and rich. I can’t do the sauce justice. Just go to Kum Ryong at 30 W. 32nd (bw 5th & Broadway) and order the Noodles with brown sauce ($6.50 for a big bowl). If you’re in a seafood mood, get the seafood version ($7.95). Kum Ryong’s American name is Golden Dragon.
I always wonder if the Caucasians wonder what everyone else is eating in those big white bowls. I want to tell them to try the noodles instead of the beef with broccoli. I think white folks would be pleasantly surprised if they try the Sweet and Sour meats. The Korean version isn’t bright red or have the ketchup or pineapple chunks that Americanized Chinese restaurants serve.
Kum Ryong was renovated a couple of years ago. It used to be rather dreary with its odd fake tree limb decoration and gross splatter of past cha chjun myun on the walls. It’s now slick and clean with a big window that displays ladies making dumplings (mandoo) and handmade noodles. The process of noodle making is absolutely hypnotic. I have tons of video of this. I also couldn’t help but photograph this funny sign in the bathroom.
Here's a great link that defines the dish better than I do, it also spells it differently. I can only spell Korean food phonetically.
Rober Sietsema from the Village Voice's review of Sam Won Gahk diner in Flushing is good. I couldn't get the link to work, I think it's because it's an archive article. I dunno. Cut and past this link to read the review. www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0407,sietsema,51070,16.html.
This is a blog from a girl in LA that I thought was good.
Enjoy and if you want to eat some noodles with me, email me and I'll take you!
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