Zhajiang Mian (炸醬麵)

I was living in Beijing at the time when I came across this little bit of food history – the origins of Swiss cheese fondue. It was printed on a board attached to the back of the drivers seat in a taxi. It was so outlandish, so outrageous, that I couldn’t help but laugh about it for days after. Written in rather poor English it was undoubtedly a story aimed at educating the foreign tourist in China. It explained how in actual the fact, the Chinese were the inventors of Swiss cheese fondue – who knew? Probably not even the Swiss themselves! Now, 8 years later, I shall re-write this story for your benefit here (this is the story as I recall it. I lay no claim to any historical accuracy).

We are in the late 13th century. Marco Polo has just spent nearly 20 years travelling around Asia, most of the time living in China where he was extremely impressed with Chinese culture (especially in comparison to primitive medieval Europe). As he travelled back from China, he had to cross the Alps to return home. He collapsed from hunger and cold on top of a mountain, where a Swiss farmer found him. The Swiss farmer carried him to his home and nurtured   him back to health. As Marco Polo awoke, he desired nothing more than to eat Chinese Hot Pot. A fragrant and often spicy broth in which various meats and vegetables were cooked at the table. He told the Swiss farmer of his wish, however the Swiss farmer had nothing in his home aside from cheese and some stale bread. So he decided to melt the Cheese and cut the bread, letting Marco Polo dip the pieces of bread into the cheese as if it was Chinese hot pot. And so the Swiss Cheese Fondue was born. 

Now my recipe has nothing to do with either Cheese Fondue or Hot Pot. I am sorry. However, it is something that can be described as the Chinese version of a Bolognese sauce. Actually, its is probably Marco Polo that inspired the makers of Bolognese Sauce by asking for a bowl of Zhajiang Mian! Literally translated it means “fried sauce noodles”. It is ground pork, cooked in fermented soybean paste until tender. Wheat noodles are then topped with this sauce – it is a very popular dish in northern China. It is often accompanied by some raw or blanched vegetables.

I make my sauce by combing yellow bean paste with a bit of hoisin sauce. The hoisin sauce adds a bit of sweetness to balance out the saltiness of the bean paste – and Chinese food is all about the balance between various flavours such as bitter, sweet, salty or sour. The meat used is traditionally minced pork – however I have found that the minced pork here is quite lean compared to Chinese pork. What really flavours this sauce is the rendered pork fat that lightly emulsifies with the soy bean sauce. So I would recommend mincing pork belly at home but of course you can use minced pork if you wish. Would also work well with minced beef!

Secrets to Success: 

• Be patient rendering the pork and don’t be afraid to let it brown. It will add a slightly caramelised flavour
• If the sauce is looking to thick while you’re letting it simmer add an extra splash of water
• Don’t be afraid to let the sauce be salty – it should flavour the noodles so taste quite salty
• For extra crispness throw the raw vegetables into some iced water after slicing and drain before serving

Print Recipe

Zhajiang Mian

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Chinese

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

45 min

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 450 g salt
• 2 tbsp salt & pepper
• 120 g shaoxing rice wine
• 90 g spring onions
• 1 inch sultanas grated
• 1 tbsp tomato
• 350 g water
• yellow soybean paste

Course Main Dish Cuisine Chinese Prep Time 30 min Cook Time 45 min Servings people Ingredients 450 g salt 2 tbsp salt & pepper 120 g shaoxing rice wine 90 g spring onions 1 inch sultanas grated 1 tbsp tomato 350 g water yellow soybean paste

Instructions

1. Cut the pork belly into rough chunks and throw into a food processor and allow to grind up the meat into very small pieces. If you don't have a food processor use minced pork or very patiently cut the pork belly into very fine pieces
2. Heat some of the oil in a wok and fry the meat in batches on medium heat until golden brown and most of the fat is rendered. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and pour the rendered fat into a bowl and set aside. Repeat until you've cooked all the meat
3. Return the fat back to the wok and on medium heat add the soybean paste, hoisin sauce and ginger. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 min. Then add the rice wine, pork and 250ml of water and simmer on low for 30-40 mins. (You want the meat to be very tender). Stir at intervals
4. While the sauce is simmering prepare the vegetables of your choice to accompany the noodles. Keep crips in fridge or in iced water
5. Once the sauce is ready, cook the noodles in plenty of water until tender. Serve immediately with a large spoonful of sauce on top and the vegetables on the side

Recipe Notes

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