Beijing Noodles with Fried Pork Sauce (Zhá Jiàng Miàn 炸酱面)
A traditional Beijing recipe with a thick, fermented pork-belly sauce. The keys to the right flavor are two pastes – yellow soybean paste (Huángjiàng) and sweet bean sauce (Tiánmiànjiàng) – and slow simmering until the oil separates on the surface.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Noodles
- 400 g thick wheat noodles about 14 oz; hand-pulled if possible, or udon
Sauce
- 450 g pork belly about 1 lb, skin on if possible, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
- 4 tbsp yellow soybean paste (Huángjiàng) sold as Yellow Bean Paste or Shandong Soybean Paste
- 2 tbsp sweet bean sauce (Tiánmiànjiàng) substitute: hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 120 ml water ½ cup
Aromatics
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 scallions or the white part of a leek, sliced
- 3 slices ginger
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
Toppings
- 1 cucumber cut into thin matchsticks
- 100 g radishes or daikon about 3.5 oz, cut into matchsticks
- 100 g mung bean or soybean sprouts about 3.5 oz
- 50 g cooked soybeans or edamame about ⅓ cup (optional)
Instructions
Mix the sauce
- In a bowl, combine the Huángjiàng, Tiánmiànjiàng, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, sugar and water. Stir until smooth and set aside.
Fry the pork and aromatics
- Cut the pork belly into cubes about 1 cm (½ inch). Don't trim the fat – it's essential to the flavor of the sauce.
- Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic and fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the pork cubes. Fry over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes until the meat browns and starts to render its fat. Don't stir too often – let the pork turn golden.
Simmer the sauce
- Turn the heat down to low. Add the paste mixture and stir well into the pork.
- Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the oil starts to separate on the surface and the sauce begins to sizzle lightly. That's the sign it's done – take it off the heat right away.
Noodles and vegetables
- Cook the noodles according to the package (wheat noodles usually take 3–5 minutes). Add the sprouts to the water for the last minute and drain together.
- Rinse the noodles under cold water so they stay springy and don't stick together.
- Cut the cucumber and radishes into thin matchsticks.
Serve
- Divide the noodles among deep bowls. Top each with 2–3 tablespoons of sauce. Arrange the vegetables around it – cucumber, radishes, sprouts and soybeans, if using.
- Serve immediately. Toss everything together well before eating.
Notes
The pastes: Look for yellow soybean paste (Huángjiàng) at Asian grocery stores or online as Yellow Bean Paste or Shandong Soybean Paste, and sweet bean sauce (Tiánmiànjiàng) as Sweet Bean Sauce or Tian Mian Jiang. If you can't find Huángjiàng, use dark (red) miso plus a pinch of salt. Hoisin sauce works in place of Tiánmiànjiàng.
Paste ratio: Traditionally 2:1 (Huángjiàng : Tiánmiànjiàng). If you prefer a sweeter sauce, adjust the ratio.
The key moment: The sauce is ready when the oil separates on the surface. Take it off the heat immediately.
Noodles: Ideally use thick hand-pulled wheat noodles (手擀面). Udon or thick Asian wheat noodles from an Asian grocery store are a good substitute.