Zha jiang mian (炸酱面)
Noodles are my comfort food.
Zha Jiang Mian 炸酱面
Lao Beijing Zha Jiang Mian (老北京炸酱面) is one of those dishes that I would crave for from time to time. It can be translated to “Old Beijing fried sauce noodles”. You might find this dish at an authentic northern-style Chinese restaurant, where the dish is originally from Beijing. But I can guarantee you that it tastes different from the originals. If you ever have the chance to visit Beijing, make sure you go a speciality (Zha Jiang Mian) restaurant. Eating this dish in a restaurant is almost like watching some type of performing art. Besides the noodles and the sauce, the waiters will bring you a variety of vegetables that are piled up high on tiny plates. Then, the waiters will strike these plates onto the noodle bowl and they clatter. Be aware, no plates are broken. But the sounds, the louder the better.
I remember growing up I always eat Zha Jiang Mian at my grandmother’s house. With her religious background, she did not put any pork in the sauce. It was just simply Tian Mian Jiang and Gan Huang Jiang (two types of bean sauce that can be easily found in any Asian grocery store). Zha Jiang Mian is a staple at any households. But the ratio of these bean sauce could be quite different. Other than the ingredients, the key to this dish is the skill to patiently “Fry” (aka. Zha in Chinese) the sauce.
Once the sauce is made (p.s given that there are some handmade noodles), prepare vegetables which can be thinly sliced or diced, a delicious meal is ready in no time. Better yet, make a batch and keep the leftover sauce in the fridge for at least two weeks.
RECIPE: Zha Jiang Mian FOR 4 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
Sweet bean sauce (aka Tian Mian Jiang 甜面酱)
Yellow soybean sauce (aka Gan Huang Jiang 干黄酱)
Cooking wine
Vegetable oil
Pork belly, diced
Leeks or green onions
Vegetables: julienned cucumber, blanched bean sprouts, sliced green onions, edamame, diced radishes, diced celery, blanched cabbages etc. (one kind of vegetable to as many kinds that your heart desires)
STEPS
Sauce: Mix sauce and dilute with cooking wine. The ratio 1 part sweet bean sauce to 3 parts yellow soybean sauce to 2 parts cooking wine. Add more cooking wine as needed to dilute the sauce.
Frying: Medium heat, add oil and stir-fry pork belly until slightly brown. Swirl in the sauce, maintain a medium heat and keep stirring for 10 minutes. Lower to low heat, blend in warm water and add in diced leeks. Continue stirring while the sauce is bubbling. Turn off the heat when the sauce is shiny and thicken.
Noodles: Boil noodles in a pot. 1-6 minutes depending on the type of noodles you have
Assemble: Noodles, 2 tbsp of sauce over noodles, vegetables around the sauce. Add more sauce if need and store the leftover sauce in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.