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My Mother’s Zhajiangmian

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Ingredients

Scale

2–3 tbsp dried shrimp (without shells; see Notes)

1–2 tsp vegetable or other neutral oil

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1 tsp minced garlic (about 1 large garlic clove)

1/2 tsp finely grated ginger

1/2 lb ground pork or beef

1 tsp rice wine or sake

6 tbsp sweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang; here is an example)

2 tbsp peanut butter (sesame paste also works)

1–2 tbsp spicy chili broad bean paste (doubanjiang; look for pixian doubanjiang for the highest quality, but more common brands like Lee Kum Kee will do you just fine)

1 lb fresh Chinese or Korean wheat noodles (see Notes)

julienned cucumber, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. At least an hour ahead, soak the dried shrimp in a small bowl of warm water (enough to submerge the shrimp fully) to soften them and better release their flavor.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. You won’t want to salt the water for the noodles — zhajiang sauce is quite salty, and will add more than enough flavor.
  3. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat a few teaspoons of oil — just enough to coat the skillet or wok — until shimmering. Add the green onions, minced garlic, and ginger, and sauté briefly for 5-10 seconds. Drain the dried shrimp and add them to the skillet, along with the ground pork and rice wine, and continue to cook, stirring to break up large chunks, until the ground pork is cooked through. (Note: You may want to drain some of the fat from the ground pork at this point, depending on how much renders out.)
  4. Add the sweet bean sauce, peanut butter, and chili broad bean paste and continue to stirfry until smooth. You may want to add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the meat sauce to your liking. Turn the heat to its lowest setting to keep the sauce warm, or remove from heat and set aside while you finish cooking the noodles.
  5. When the water for the noodles comes to a boil, add the noodles and cook according to package directions. Usually I find that fresh varieties cook in no more than a few minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles to get rid of excess starch and to make them a bit chewier. Divide evenly between three or four bowls, top with the zhajiang sauce and julienned cucumber (if desired), and enjoy immediately.

Notes

  • My mother’s recipe is a bit unconventional; she likes to depart from traditional zhajiangmian in a few ways. The spicy chili broad bean paste adds a bit of heat that is not always present in most versions, and, more unusually, my mother also likes to add peanut butter to her recipe, which adds a creamy sweetness, reminiscent of sesame noodles, that I love. It’s a quirk that I haven’t seen in many other recipes, but I find it completely addictive and a vivid reminder of home.
  • Both zhajiangmian and jajangmyeon will require specialty ingredients that may be a little hard to find, with zhajiangmian a bit more involved than its Korean counterpart. If you can’t find tianmianjiang, or “sweet bean sauce” (also sometimes “sweet flour sauce”), you can try hoisin sauce instead, though it will be a bit sweeter. I’ve combined Korean chunjang with hoisin sauce in equal parts for a very good substitute.
  • If you can’t find dried shrimp, a few ounces of minced fresh, raw shrimp will work well, too — just add them when you add the pork and cook until pink. Shell-on dried shrimp is not ideal here.
  • On noodles: Most any fresh Chinese or Korean noodles will work here, and even spaghetti, in a pinch. Our favorite kind looks like this — tinged a bit yellow, square-cut, and packaged in bundles. The noodles above are not this version (I was led astray, alas, by a sale.)

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2016/09/14/zhajiangmian-jajangmyeon/