Beijing Style Noodles or Zha Jiang Mian
Beijing-style Zha Jiang Mian brings together chewy wheat noodles and a savory pork and mushroom sauce packed with umami. Topped with fresh cucumber, carrots, and crunchy bean sprouts, it’s a dish that perfectly balances textures and flavors. It’s ideal for a quick weeknight dinner or a casual gathering with friends.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup doenjang Korean soybean paste
- 2 tablespoons tian mian jiang Korean sweet bean paste
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons oil divided
- 1 pound ground pork use a fatty pork if you can
- 8 ounces mushrooms shiitake or cremini, diced
- 6 green onions thinly sliced, divided
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 ¼ pounds fresh Chinese wheat noodles
For garnish
- 1 Persian cucumber julienned
- 1 carrot julienned
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
Instructions
- Combine the doenjang, tian mian jiang, soy sauce, wine, and ¾ cup of water in a bowl. Stir to mix well.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the ground pork, breaking it up with a spatula and spreading it out across the bottom of the pan so that it cooks evenly. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the bottom begins to brown, then break it up more with the spatula and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until it is cooked through and browned in places, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pork from the skillet and set aside.
- Wipe out the pan, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, ginger, and about ¾ of the green onions, reserving the rest of the green onions for garnish. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms soften, about 3 minutes.
- Return the pork to the skillet along with the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package, and then drain well.
- To serve, divide the noodles among the bowls, top with the sauce, and garnish with the julienned cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts, and reserved green onion.
Notes
1. If you can’t find doenjang, substitute with white miso paste.
2. If you can’t find tian mian jiang or sweet bean paste, substitute with hoisin sauce.
3. Use a fatty ground pork if you can. I recommend at least 20% fat.
4. You can substitute beef for the pork if you like. But as with pork, choose a fattier product over a lean one.
5. If you don’t have Shiaoxing wine, substitute sake, dry sherry, or dry white wine.
6. For the noodles, you can use fresh ramen noodles or udon noodles instead of Chinese wheat or Hokkien noodles.
Nutrition
Calories: 926kcalCarbohydrates: 110gProtein: 36gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 1324mgPotassium: 696mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2755IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 2mg
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