Beijing Zhajiangmian (Fried Sauce Noodles)

⏱ 50 min · Serves 4

Chewy wheat noodles buried under a glossy, deeply savoury pork and fermented bean sauce, with a pile of cool crunchy cucumber to cut the richness. Toss everything hard at the table — that's the whole point.

Per serving: 735 kcal · 32.0g protein · 72.0g carbs · 35.0g fat

Ingredients

• 400g fresh thick wheat noodles (or 320g dried)
• 400g pork belly or pork shoulder, finely diced (or minced pork)
• 4 tbsp sweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang)
• 2 tbsp yellow soybean paste (huangdoujiang) or dried yellow bean sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 spring onions, whites finely chopped, greens sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 15g fresh ginger, minced
• 250ml water or unsalted stock
• 1 large cucumber, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned (optional)
• 100g beansprouts, blanched 30 seconds (optional)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Dice the pork small (about 5mm) — a mix of fat and lean gives the best sauce. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, stir the sweet bean sauce and soybean paste together with 100ml of the water until smooth and pourable. This stops it catching in the pan.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and fry 6–8 minutes until browned and the fat has rendered out.
4. Add spring onion whites, garlic and ginger; stir-fry 1 minute until fragrant.
5. Splash in the Shaoxing wine, let it sizzle away, then pour in the loosened bean sauces. Turn heat to medium-low and fry the sauce, stirring often, for 8 minutes — it should darken and smell rich and toasty.
6. Add the remaining 150ml water, dark soy and sugar. Simmer gently 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick, glossy and a layer of red oil surfaces. Stir in the sesame oil.
7. Meanwhile boil the noodles in plenty of unsalted water until just tender. Drain and rinse briefly in cold water for extra bounce, then shake dry.
8. Divide noodles between four bowls. Spoon over a generous ladle of sauce, pile on cucumber, carrot and beansprouts, scatter with spring onion greens. Toss thoroughly before eating.