Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Beijing "Fried Sauce" Noodles (Zha Jiang Mian)

Love this dish! Zha Jiang Mian is a famous Beijing noodle dish that is topped with a thick brown meat sauce traditionally made using ground pork, sweet soybean & ground bean pastes, dark soy sauce, garlic, and water (all thickened with a bit of cornstarch slurry). The sauce is served over freshly-cooked thin wheat noodles (similar to a spaghetti-type pasta) and garnished with julienned cucumbers and other fresh veggies. There are variations of course, and my version includes a bit of finely chopped red onion or shallot, finely diced pressed bean curd, rice wine and sesame oil. The veggie garnishes typically consist of julienned cucumbers and carrots, but I like to use cucumbers, blanched bean sprouts and a sprinkling of finely chopped or julienned scallions. 


Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion or shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 lb. ground pork

6 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried-just need to reconstitute in hot water), stemmed & diced

1 cup pressed bean curd (1 square), or firm tofu, finely diced
1 tbsp. Shaoxing or rice wine
2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
2 tbsp. sweet soybean paste
2 tbsp. yellow ground bean paste
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1 cup water

8 oz. fresh thin wheat noodles or spaghetti

Cornstarch slurry:
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. water 

Garnishes:
8 oz. bean sprouts (blanched in boiling water 10-20 secs, then rinsed under cold tap water)
1 hothouse cucumber, julienned
Minced or julienned scallion (optional)
1 medium carrot, julienned (optional)

1. Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a wok or large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the minced shallots, ginger and garlic and saute for 20-30 seconds until fragrant. Add the ground pork and cook until the pork is just done. 

2. Add the diced bean curd, diced shiitakes and stir to combine. Add Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, sweet soybean paste, ground bean paste, sesame oil, white pepper and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has reduced a bit. Taste and adjust for seasonings (add a pinch of sugar, if needed).

3. In the meantime, bring a medium stock pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles 5-6 minutes, or until just tender. Remove and drain. 

4. Bring the meat sauce back up to a boil and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Stir briefly until the sauce has thickened, then remove the pan from the heat. 

5. To serve: use tongs and place about 2 cups of noodles into each individual serving bowl. Ladle a generous amount of the meat sauce on one side of the noodles and garnish with bean sprouts, julienned cucumbers, and minced scallion, as desired. 

Sweet bean sauce and pressed tofu. There are 4 squares to a package.
I use 1 square for this recipe. You can also substitute with firm fresh tofu.

Finely minced garlic, red onion (or shallots), ginger and diced pressed tofu. 


Sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and vegetable oil. 

Saute the onion, ginger and garlic until fragrant. 

Add the ground pork and when cooked through, stir in the diced bean curd. 

Add Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, sweet bean & ground bean paste, sesame oil and 1 cup of water. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the stock has reduced. Bring the mixture up to a boil and stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken. 

In the meantime, blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for 20-30 seconds.  

Pour the sprouts into a colander to drain and rinse with cold tap water to stop the cooking. 

Julienne the cucumbers with a mandolin slicer (if you have one). Otherwise, you can do it by hand but it will just take forever...just sayin' 

 Cook your fav Chinese wheat noodles (spaghetti is a good substitute) until al dente. Drain & set aside. 

 To serve, place a helping of noodles into a bowl, then top with a generous ladle or two of the meat sauce. Garnish with the julienned cucumbers, blanched bean sprouts, and a bit of minced scallion if desired. Feel free to add some julienned carrots, too. 

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