Zhajiangmian is a Chinese dish consisting of thick wheat noodles topped with a mixture of ground pork stir-fried with fried sauce, which is salty fermented soybean paste. Mix before eating. It is said that it tastes better with hand pulled noodles.

Thick flour noodles are boiled by themselves, and then raw vegetables and a thick meaty sauce are stirred in. The sauce is the real key to this meal: some old Beijingers guard their family recipes jealously.

In Beijing cuisine, yellow soybean paste is used, while in Tianjin and other parts of China tianmianjiang, hoisin sauce, or broad bean sauce may be used in place of the yellow soybean paste. Soy sauce can also be used instead of the soybean paste. Simplified Chinese:(炸酱) also means fried sauce, since the sauce itself is fried, although this homonym does not carry over into the Traditional Chinese term which describes the actual bean paste.

Recipe outline:

The following is a rough sketch for making zhajiangmian.

·Dice scallions and, if desired, garlic.

·Stir-fry the spring onions and garlic until they are slightly brown. (One could also add shredded tofu or soybeans to this step).

·Add meat to the wok. Stir-fry the ground meat until it is slightly brown.

·Add the yellow soybean paste, sweet bean sauce, broad bean paste, soy sauce or hoisin sauce to the mixture with some water and simmer.

·Serve this meat sauce over noodles. If desired, add condiments like shredded carrots, shredded cucumbers, bean sprouts, cilantro, scrambled eggs, shredded Chinese cabbage, fresh soybeans/edamame, vinegar and hot sauce.

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