Zha Jiang Mian

A Taiwanese take on Fried Bean Paste Noodles (Zha Jiang Mian / 炸醬麵), a Northern Chinese classic

Taiwanese Zha Jiang Mian Recipe

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

350g (¾ lb) ground pork or pork belly, minced

350g or 6 pieces of bean curd, minced finely

3 medium to large shallots, peeled and sliced, about ⅓ cup fried shallots

1 to 2 tbsp garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, sliced

⅓ cup fried bean sauce

1 tbsp black bean soy paste

1 tbsp black vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

¼ tsp five spice powder

⅛ tsp white pepper

10g rock sugar

1¼ cup unflavored chicken stock

for serving

fresh or dry noodles

1 to 1⅓ English or Japanese cucumbers, julienned

2 green onion, sliced thinly

a handful of cilantro

Directions

Begin by making the fried shallots. Heat a generous amount of oil in a small pan over medium heat, making sure there is enough oil to submerge the shallots. When the oil begins to shimmer, test the oil to see if it is ready by dropping a piece of shallot in. If it starts bubbling immediately, then the oil is ready. If not, wait another minute or so and test again. When ready, add the shallots and stir occasionally so that they fry evenly. As the shallots approach a golden brown, stir continuously to prevent burning. The process should take about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how large your pan is. When the shallots turn evenly golden, remove from heat and strain the oil into a glass storage container for later use. Transfer the fried shallots to a separate bowl. When they have cooled, crush or cut them up.

Transfer two tablespoons of shallot oil in your wok or dutch oven over medium heat and add the ground pork and salt. Cook for a minute to brown the pork, and then add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry everything together for another minute or so before adding the minced bean curd and cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the fried bean sauce, black bean soy paste, five spice powder, black vinegar, white pepper, sesame oil, rock sugar, fried shallots, and chicken stock. When well-combined, lower the heat and cover the pot; simmer the sauce for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. By the end, the fried shallots should have completely disintegrated into the sauce.

When ready to serve, cook the noodles according to the package directions. Toss the noodles with some of the sauce and green onions; then, scoop some more sauce over the noodles and garnish with the julienned cucumbers and cilantro.

Notes

What sets Taiwanese Zha Jiang Mian apart from traditional Northern Chinese versions are the ingredients and sauces used. The differences are subtle, but to me, create a completely new dish. Beijing versions traditionally use a yellow bean paste and sweet bean paste, whereas the Taiwanese version uses just the fried bean paste. Another key difference is the addition of minced bean curd; Chinese versions of zha jiang mian use only pork and sometimes incorporate seafood.

Inspired by my mother’s Taiwanese zha jiang mian and updated for a slightly mellower and more complex flavor.