Asian Bolognese “Zha Jiang Mian”
When I lived in Los Angeles my favorite place to eat was a tiny dumpling shop in Chinatown. Before entering I would stop and watch the woman in the window folding dumplings, it was mesmerizing. She would roll the dough into a long rope, deftly cut it into pieces and then with a small rolling pin, flatten each piece into a thin round disc. A spoonful of filling plopped in the center of the wrapper, a couple of turns, and a perfectly pleated potsticker was born.
As delicious as the dumplings were, I actually went for the noodles. Their Zha Jiang Mian was “drop the mic” delicious. The literal translation is fried bean sauce noodles. Stir fry ground pork or chicken with shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, sweet bean paste, and ground bean sauce-throw in some water and simmer. Toss with the warm noodles and top with slivers of green onions, crisp carrots, and refreshing cucumbers, it is really yummy.
If a celestial chef decided to create the perfect bowl of noodles-this would be in the running.
My quest to make my own perfect bowl of noodles started with the recipe on the blog “The Woks of Life” (mom, dad & 2 sisters blogging from different parts of the world, check it out). The recipe calls for ground bean sauce and either sweet flour sauce or Hoisin. I like Zha Jiang Mian with a touch of sweetness so I used Sweet Bean Paste and Hoisin with the Bean Sauce. Stir fry the pork, seasonings, and mushrooms and add water to create the sauce. Reduce the sauce until it has thickened and has a nice sheen. Pour over noodles, add your veggies, dunzo. A little bowl of goodness ready to eat. Sadly, the little shop is gone and it’s a long drive to LA just for noodles anyways. It’s a good thing I can make my own Zha Jiang Mian.
Zha Jiang Mian 2 Ways
Ingredients
- 6 oz. ground pork
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon oil plus 1 tablespoon
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 3 slices ginger minced finely
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons sweet bean sauce I used 2 T Hoisin/1 T Sweet Ben Sauce
- 3 tablespoons ground bean paste Reduce to 2 T
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 8 oz. fresh noodles flour-based noodle. Fresh or dry. I've used udon and a combination of spinach and plain
Additional Chinese Ingredients
- 4-6 fresh shiitake mushrooms* finely chopped
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 1 cup julienned cucumbers
- ½ cup julienned scallions garnish
Additional Korean Ingredients
- 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms diced
- 1 medium Yukon Gold Potato* 1/2 inch dice for Korean version
- 1 small zucchini 1/2 inch dice for Korean version
- 1/2 cup carrots 1/2 inch dice for Korean version
- 1/2 small yellow onion diced
- 1/4 head cabbage shredded, optional
- 1/2 cup green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup cucumbers diced
Instructions
- Marinade the pork with the following for 15 minutes: ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon oil, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper.
- Heat a tablespoon oil in your wok over medium heat, add the marinated ground pork to the wok. Cook for a minute to brown it, and then add the ginger, garlic, and mushrooms* Stir fry everything together for another 2-3 minutes.
- **Add the Hoisin, sweet bean sauce, bean paste, dark soy sauce, and water, stirring everything together well. Lower the heat and cover the wok. Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions.
- Top noodles with the sauce and garnish with the julienned carrots, cucumbers, and scallions.
Korean Style*
- Stir fry pork, ginger, and garlic for 30 seconds add diced vegetables. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Continue with recipe**
- If you like, add shredded cabbage in the last couple of minutes of cooking.
- Place a mound of noodles in your bowl, top with sauce and garnish with cucumber and green onions. Plop yourself down in front of the telly and enjoy!
