Chinese restaurant that went viral for sweet potato tempura jjajang

The owner of this Ganghwa Island Chinese restaurant says the food reflects his own thinking.

This is seen in his aim to serve generous portions rather than stingy ones, and in his commitment to a cooking process that stir-fries vegetables and stock to order to give the dish a wok-charred flavor.

The restaurant uses Sokнorang sweet potatoes, a Ganghwa Island specialty, fried and used as a topping for its jjajang noodles.

It also shreds Ganghwa turnips over its sweet and sour pork to cut the greasiness, cooks fried rice with Ganghwa rice, and develops healthy noodles mixed with mugwort juice and spinach, pursuing a partnership with local farmers.

The restaurant determines the noodle flavor through an optimal ratio of mugwort juice to flour.

The owner explains that 1 kg of mugwort juice per 10 kg of flour produces noodles that pair with jjampong or jjajang without overpowering them, creating a harmonious balance.

The noodles are boiled quickly over high heat while being stirred in one direction, then immediately rinsed in cold water to maximize their texture, and the bowls are pre-heated so the noodles do not go soggy.

The sweet potato tempura topping on the jajangmyeon is cut into thin, thread-like strands so it stays crispy.

The restaurant uses about one ton of sweet potatoes a month. It fries them in small batches to keep the oil temperature steady, and the jajang sauce is stir-fried thin so it blends well with the sweet potato.

Chinese cooks stand over hot flames for long hours, and the work brings repeated physical strain, including shoulder and wrist pain and scars on their arms.

Despite these hardships, the owner finds more reward in sharing time with customers and maintaining long-standing relationships than in money, and says such wounds are something they can easily bear.

The restaurant's rule is to sell out all prepared ingredients on the same day. It aims to use up fresh ingredients every day without greed.

Because the open kitchen makes cleanliness critical, the staff thoroughly cleans the kitchen after closing every day, including removing grease.

To address customer complaints about waits of two to three hours in the past, the restaurant introduced a full reservation system.

Since the reservation system began, complaints have decreased. About 30% of customers are regulars, and a motorcycle club that has visited since four years ago has been a key source of word of mouth.