I like this recipe for Korean Black Bean Noodles especially because I read on Beyond Kimchee that is a big kid food in Korea. Doesn’t that just seem like so much more a fun than the kid friendly American mac & cheese? Okay mac & cheese and these noodles are both good in their own way, but I like that they are super saucy and secretly loaded with vegetables. And I bet I would have loved them as a little one. Then again, I loved everything growing up, I was not a picky eater!

My recipe is adapted from Beyond Kimchee and Kimchi Mom.

1/4 cup olive oil (some of this oil is discarded after frying the black bean paste)
6 tablespoons fermented black bean paste (Korean is best)
3 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 package Upton’s Natural Bacon Seitan (optional)
2 small potatoes diced
2 carrots diced
1 zucchinni diced
1 onion diced
Salt
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons corn starch stirred into 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3-4 portions Asian medium thick wheat noodles (Korean wheat noodles found in the original recipe are ideal-I used Taiwanese dry noodles because that’s what we had)

1. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan or skillet and add the black bean paste and sugar, and fry for a few minutes. This gets rid of the bitter taste. Remove the paste from the oil and set aside.
   
2. If the paste didn’t stick to the bottom, remove all but one tablespoon of oil. If it did stick, wash out the pan and add in a tablespoon oil. Saute the bacon if using for a few minutes, then remove from pan. Toss in the potatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the carrots and cook for a couple more minutes, then add the zucchini and onions and cook until tender. Lightly salt the veggies.
3. Add back in the seitan bacon (if using), black bean paste and water and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch and water mixture, reduce heat and stir until it gets nice and thick. Stir in the sesame oil.
4. Meanwhile cook the noodles according the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
5. Put noodles in a bowl and top with the black bean vegetable sauce. Stir and slurp!