韓姜熙的小廚房是一家連鎖韓式料理品牌店，光看店名，就很有韓國人的感覺，店名中的小廚房，又很有家庭料理的味道，但其實是一家連鎖店，那天我在美食街，逛了近十來分鐘，實在是無法決定要吃甚麼，最後，打動我的心的是，韓國炸醬麵
我雖然沒看過韓國戲劇，但是對於韓國炸醬麵印象深刻，韓國炸醬麵是普通的街頭美食，在韓國電影、電視劇或綜藝節目中，經常可以看到人們打電話訂炸醬麵外送的畫面，和我愛的台式炸醬麵或麻醬麵相比，韓國炸醬麵的醬料是黑漆漆，乍看之下，還真是會嚇一跳，及好奇到底味道如何？
午餐時段的美食街，人潮洶湧，我可以等了好一段時間才拿到我的韓國炸醬麵套餐，我拍完照後，迫不急待得趕快地拿起筷子，用力的攪拌，雖然麵條看起來油油亮亮，不過卻帶點黏性，跟有點稠稠的炸醬很搭，大概拌個一分鐘，就絆到我理想的黏稠度，有點黏，又不會太黏，本來以為醬汁看起來黑黑的，應該會很鹹，不過，其實還好，反而有些甘甜，跟甜麵醬有點像，麵條跟醬汁都是冷的，套餐附的是味噌湯，喝了可以暖暖身體，雖然現實中，韓國與日本是世仇，但在料理上倒是可以搭配的不錯。
說起來，食物最迷人的地方，往往不只是味道，而是它背後所意義，黑黑的韓國炸醬麵，外表或許沒有精緻料理那般吸引目光，卻是市井小民生活的依託，在韓國人的日常生活中占有一席之地，所以每次我看到韓國炸醬麵時，都會想嚐嚐味道其實，相較之下，我覺得熱熱的台式炸醬麵及麻醬麵比較好吃，因為味道豐富有層次，但是韓國炸醬麵的顏色，每每牽動我的心，讓我想一探究竟。
Han Kang-hee’s Little Kitchen is a chain restaurant specializing in Korean cuisine. Just looking at the name, you can already get a Korean vibe, while the words “Little Kitchen” give it a cozy, home-cooked feel. But in reality, it’s a chain restaurant. That day, I spent nearly ten minutes wandering around the food court, but I just couldn’t decide what to eat. In the end, what caught my attention was Korean jajangmyeon, or Korean black bean noodles.
Although I’ve never watched Korean dramas, Korean jajangmyeon has always left a strong impression on me. It’s a common street food in Korea, and in Korean movies, TV dramas, and variety shows, you often see people ordering it for delivery over the phone. Compared with the Taiwanese-style fried soybean paste noodles or sesame sauce noodles I love, Korean jajangmyeon has a sauce that’s almost pitch-black. At first glance, it can be a little shocking, and it naturally makes you curious about how it actually tastes.
The food court was packed during lunchtime, and I had to wait quite a while before finally getting my Korean jajangmyeon set meal. After taking a few photos, I couldn’t wait to grab my chopsticks and give the noodles a good mix. Although the noodles looked shiny and oily, they also had a slightly sticky texture that went really well with the thick black bean sauce. After mixing everything for about a minute, I got just the consistency I wanted—not too sticky, but sticky enough.
I initially thought the sauce would be really salty because of its dark color, but surprisingly, it wasn’t that salty at all. Instead, it had a slightly sweet, almost caramelized flavor, a bit like sweet bean sauce. Both the noodles and the sauce were served cold, while the set meal came with miso soup to warm me up. It was interesting how these flavors worked together. Although Korea and Japan have had a long history of conflict, their cuisines can actually go together quite nicely.
When you think about it, the most fascinating thing about food isn’t just its taste, but also the meaning and stories behind it. Korean jajangmyeon may not look as fancy or eye-catching as fine dining dishes, but it’s an everyday comfort food that holds a special place in ordinary Koreans’ lives.
That’s why whenever I see Korean jajangmyeon, I feel tempted to give it a try. To be honest, though, I still think hot Taiwanese-style fried soybean paste noodles and sesame sauce noodles taste better because their flavors are richer and more layered. Still, there’s something about the dark color of Korean jajangmyeon that keeps drawing me in and making me want to find out more. Sometimes, all it takes is a bowl of black noodles to satisfy your curiosity and turn an ordinary lunch into a little food adventure.