When she was just five years old, Jessica Chan would frequently order jjajangmyeon and delight her father with a face covered in black bean sauce. She was such a fan, her mother started making it at home, cementing Jessicaʼs love of both cooking and her Korean and Chinese heritage. Today, the content creator and home cook shares her food adventures and favorite recipes @jeccachantilly — including her familyʼs jjajangmyeon!

Jessica: "When I was younger, my family and relatives would get together every weekend at my grandmotherʼs house in Chinatown.The adults would play mahjong while the kids would play together and hang out. My earliest memories of being in a kitchen were with my grandmother, aunts, and uncles who cooked massive family-style meals for 15 – 20 people. This weekly tradition went on for almost 20 years of my life and I canʼt help but think this played a significant role in fueling my passion for food."

Jessica: "At the core of it, my heritage is a part of my identity. As a first generation Asian American, it has been important for me to explore my culture and understand the origins of my family. My father is from Hong Kong and my mother is from Korea and I feel extremely lucky that Iʼve been given this life to experience the best of both worlds."

Jessica: "One of the earliest memories I have with my parents is eating at Korean Chinese restaurants. My mom and I would always share a jjajangmyeon and my dad would always order jjambong, which is a spicy seafood noodle soup. To this day, my dad will joke and reminisce about how, as a 5-year-old, I would have black bean sauce all over my face whenever I ate jjajangmyeon. Over the years, my mom started making jjajangmyeon at home so I learned it from her! Jjajangmyeon is usually not spicy but I love spicy food and will add some heat to any dish whenever I can. For my jjajangmyeon recipe, I use peppers to add a subtle hint of spiciness."

Jessica: "There are so many, but if I had to choose, it would be sujebi, which is a Korean hand torn noodle soup. Each noodle is torn and flattened by hand before itʼs cooked in an anchovy broth. This is particularly special to me because itʼs a dish that requires some teamwork and I would make this together with my mom on chilly days."

Jessica: "If youʼre not careful, the black bean paste can get everywhere! I wasnʼt aware that it got on some of my cooking utensils, and then smudged all over my hands, then my clothes and… needless to say, a full wardrobe change was necessary."

Jessica: "Yes! Make sure to rinse the noodles in cold water after cooking and draining to get that chewy bouncy texture. To make this vegetarian, you can skip the meat completely. You can also use any vegetables you like, but scallions and onions are a must for this dish!"