Zhajiangmian (Chinese Fried Sauce Noodles)

About This Recipe

Zhajiangmian, 'fried sauce noodles,' is a Beijing specialty built around a deeply savory sauce made from ground pork cooked slowly with fermented yellow soybean paste (huangjiang) or sweet bean sauce until thick and fragrant. The sauce is meant to be cooked low and slow, allowing the fermented paste's funky depth to mellow and blend with the pork fat, resulting in a sauce that's intensely savory rather than simply salty. Served over thick, chewy wheat noodles and traditionally topped with a variety of fresh, crunchy vegetable garnishes like cucumber and radish, diners toss everything together at the table so each bite balances the rich sauce against fresh crunch.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gthick wheat noodles
• 300 gground pork
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 1/3 cupfermented yellow soybean paste (huangjiang)(or sweet bean sauce)
• 1 tbsphoisin sauce
• 1onion(diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tbspfresh ginger(minced)
• 1/2 cupwater or chicken stock
• 1 tspsugar
• 1cucumber(julienned, for topping)
• 1 cupbean sprouts(for topping)
• 2radishes(julienned, for topping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pork

   Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry the ground pork until browned, about 5 minutes.

2. 2

   Cook the aromatics

   Add onion, garlic and ginger, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the paste

   Stir in the fermented soybean paste and hoisin sauce, cooking 3-4 minutes until fragrant.

4. 4

   Simmer

   Add water or stock and sugar, then simmer uncovered 10-12 minutes until the sauce thickens into a rich, cohesive mixture.

   Simmer the sauce low and slow to let the fermented paste's raw edge mellow into a deeper, rounder savory flavor.

5. 5

   Cook the noodles

   Boil the noodles according to package instructions until tender, then drain.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Divide the noodles among bowls, top generously with the pork sauce, and arrange cucumber, bean sprouts and radish on top.

7. 7

   Serve

   Toss everything together at the table just before eating.

Variations

• •

  A version with diced firm tofu added to the sauce is a vegetarian-friendlier adaptation, sometimes replacing the pork entirely.

• •

  Ground beef can substitute for pork in some regional variations.

• •

  Adding a fried egg on top is a popular modern addition.

Storage

Refrigerate the sauce separately from cooked noodles up to 4 days; reheat the sauce gently and cook fresh noodles each time for the best texture.

Frequently Asked Questions