Noodles with Black Bean Sauce and Curry Rice – Su Scott's Korean Wellness Recipes

Eagle-eyed readers might recognize the name Su Scott. In 2019, she won best reading recipe at our annual awards with her take on kimchi jjigae, a feel-good stew. The award was a turning point for Scott who wrote a food blog and now lives in London but, at the time, didn't cook a lot of Korean food.

"My kimchi stew, which my dad loved, I remember thinking, "I can be proud of that. That's what makes me a Korean, and I need to know more," says Scott, whose the first cookbook, Rice Table, is published in March.

Kimchi jjigae was part of a more complex story.In 2019, Scott Struggling with loneliness, she moved to London in 2000, but came to feel like an outsider in the UK and Korea.

After the birth of her daughter, Kiki , in 2015, Scott's Postnatal Depression: "When you're in that fragile state of mind, a lot of questions start to arise. I've found that cooking is a way to control my collapsing world." p>

The p Childhood lats are at the heart of Rice Table. Scott wanted to save them for Kiki when she was older. "As a mother and raising a child with dual heritage, I was afraid that the memories would fade. If I don't remember something, no one will."

Jjajangmyeon is a popular Korean-Chinese dish that has established itself as one of the most convenient delivery meals ever in Korea .

Sweet vegetables are essential for it to work its magic; to balance the richness of pork and salty chunjang - a Korean style of black bean paste made from fermented soybeans, found in Asian grocery stores or online. In its raw state, chunjang tastes slightly bitter and sour, so fry the dough in oil before cooking to bring out a rounder flavor.

Generously serves 2vegetable oil 4 tbsp chunjang (Korean black bean paste) 4 tbsp spring onions 2, white parts only, finely minced garlic 2 cloves, finely minced root ½ tsp. , diced zucchini 70g, diced golden caster sugar 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce 2 tsp hot chicken stock or water 250ml water 1 tbsp potato starch 1 teaspoon wheat noodles 2 servings

For garnishes60g cucumber, julienned Soft-boiled egg 1 pinch of halved fine chili flakes (optional)

Put the vegetable oil and the chunjang in a cold wok or sauté pan over low heat to warm them slowly together. Stir constantly and fry the batter for about 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top. You'll notice the funky, salty smell of the dough. Once done, separate the fried dough and oil - you should have about 2½ tablespoons of oil. Set both aside. The oil will be used to cook the onions.

Wipe out the pan and heat the reserved oil. Stir in the sliced ​​spring onion whites and cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat until sizzling and smelling good. Add the garlic, ginger, pork and a good pinch of salt, and sauté for about 3 minutes to brown the pork, stirring the pan vigorously to prevent the alliums from burning.

Once the pork is browned, turn up the heat and add the onions. Sauté the onions over high heat for a few minutes to soften and caramelize them. The onions should still have some bite and not be completely mushy.

Add the cabbage and zucchini to the pan and continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes, or until until the vegetables are soft.

Stir in the sugar, then carefully pour the soy sauce around the edge of the wok to season the onions. Add reserved fried chunjang and oyster sauce. Keep mixing and stirring vigorously to loosen and mix the paste with the onions. After a few minutes, the onions should be well coated. Add broth or water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the tablespoon of water with the potato starch to make a porridge. Keep the heat low and gradually stir in the porridge to thicken the sauce slightly – I find about 2 tsp is enough for a stew...