Zha Jiang Mian (Noodles with Soybean Meat Sauce)
I think we all deserve a heaping bowl of saucy noodles after last week, am I right?! Last week felt like it lasted 20 years and the sound of CNN and John King covering the magic board started to actually soothe me rather than fill my chest with anxiety… I might have had the TV on an unhealthy amount. But it was all worth it when we woke up on Saturday morning and Reuben told me the great news! Heck yeah, Joe and Kamala! I literally felt like dancing and crying all weekend. I finally felt a little hope for the future and that I could truly deeply breathe again. All year whenever something good happened I never really felt like I could celebrate or fully enjoy it because there was always the looming dread of our currently President being a lunatic hanging over my head. I understand that a new administration doesn’t completely change the currently state of the world but having a flicker of hope really makes a huge difference.
This week I’m going to take a break from my BFFs at CNN and focus on getting the last of my recipes tested and shot because we leave for the East Coast! I have a wedding cake and wedding feast to prep! Not for our wedding btw… don’t worry. I might even attempt to make french macarons this week because I feel like I can literally do anything now. So pray for me. What’s really wonderful is the fact that it is actually COLD here now. So that means I can wear my ideal uniform of sweaters, leggings, and many socks all day long. And I can finally make long and slow dinners like braised meats and stews and bake all freaking day without breaking into a sweat.
If you feel like tucking into a cozy bowl of savory noodles, this week’s recipe is just perfect!
What is Zha Jiang Mian?
Zha Jiang Mian is one of my absolute favorite things to make! It sort of looks like spaghetti bolognese, but instead of a tomato based meat sauce you have a fermented soybean meat sauce! Fermented soybean paste or commonly labeled as bean sauce, is packed with a ton of rich and savory umami flavor. You can order it online obviously, but it’s really easy to find at your local Asian market. It’s a popular Chinese dish and there is a version in Korean call Jajangmyeon. They are essentially the same dish, but of course everyone makes it a little different.
The fundamentals are:
Noodles, preferably chewy wheat noodles made without eggs.
Meat and Bean Sauce, commonly made with ground or cube pork.
Thinly sliced cucumbers, the freshness balances the savoriness of the sauce.
My version takes a few liberties but keeps the fundamentals in mind. I have the noodles and cucumbers - check. But for the sauce I used ground chicken, which has been our preferable protein these days because it’s so light and versatile, and I loaded up the sauce with vegetables. This sauce lends well to incorporating a lot of vegetables because it all breaks down in the sauce anyways. This is probably excellent for those of you with kids and need to sneak veggies in somehow. It’s also very much like a class Italian bolognese, which consists of carrots, onion, and celery for a lot of flavor. I added a healthy amount of grated zucchini and carrots to the sauce. They are fairly neutral in flavor but adds a really nice sweetness which balances all the salt from the bean sauce.
This recipe is easily adaptable to whatever you can get your hands on or what your personal taste is. Instead of ground chicken, use ground pork or even beef. I think if you wanted to make a vegetarian option, plant based ground protein alternatives would be excellent or even a lot of chopped mushrooms which have sort of a meaty texture. You do you and enjoy your bowls of noods!
Zha Jiang Mian (Noodles with Soybean and Meat Sauce)
serves 2 to 4
Materials:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 green onions, chopped, white and greens separated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 zucchini, grate (about 2 cups)
2-3 medium carrot, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 lb ground chicken
2 tbsp dark soy sauce (regular soy sauce will work but sauce won’t be as dark)
1/4 cup bean sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp granulated sugar
12 oz wheat noodles, cooked according to package directions
Sliced cucumbers, for serving
Steps:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmery, add the whites of the green onions, garlic, zucchini, and carrots. Stir occasionally with a flexible spatula until tender and browned around the edges, about 10 minutes.
Add chicken and break up the meat with the flexible spatula, until crumbly. Add dark soy sauce, bean sauce, water, and sugar. Toss to combine. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick and reduced.
To serve, place noodles in a bowl and top with sauce. Serve with sliced green onions and cucumbers.