Zha Jiang Mian

I was first introduced to zha jiang mian by my cousin and his wife (who are both Germans) when we had dinner at Paradise Dynasty. 

It was highly recommended by my cousin's wife and she like it so much that she hoped to replicate this dish so that she can try making it when they are back in Germany. 

Therefore, this inspired me to research and to try various zha jiang mian recipe so that i can have a simple recipe which is usable even if you stay overseas.

Surprisingly, this is not that difficult to make and delicious! 

It's so fast and easy that you can try making it for a week day dinner. :)

In case you are curious what is sweet bean sauce, this is how it looks like:

Can also add spicy bean paste as shown below and chill oil, if you want some 'kick':

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

500g  ground pork
1 teaspoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon oil, plus 1

tablespoon
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
3 slices ginger, minced finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sweet bean sauce
3 tablespoons ground bean paste (taucheo)
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 cup water

4 portion of handmade noodles (you-mian)
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup julienned Japanese cucumbers
1/2 cup julienned green onions

1.      Marinate the pork with the following for 15 minutes: 1 teaspoon soya sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon oil, 1/8 teaspoon white pepper.

2.      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 and garlic. Let
everything caramelize together.

3.      Add the chopped mushrooms. Stir fry everything together for another 2-3 minutes.

4.      Add the 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.

5.      While the meat sauce is simmering, cook the noodles according to the package directions.

6.      Drain the noodles and place it in the serving bowl.

7.      Add the meat sauce and the julienned carrots, cucumbers, and green onions.

8.      Serve the noodles