How to Cook Zhajiang Noodles

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Zhajiang Noodles:

• 4 ½ oz coarsely ground pork belly
• 7 oz Chinese white flour noodles, dried
• 2 star anise
• 5 tbsp sweet fermented sauce
• 1 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

For serving:

• 1 small chunk of Chinese radish, julienned
• 1 small carrot, julienned
• Few red chilli slices
• 1 celery stick, julienned
• Handful of shredded Chinese cabbage
• Handful of cooked green peas
• Handful of bean sprouts
• Small chunk of cucumber, julienned

Cooking instructions for Zhajiang Noodles:

• Drizzle a lashing of oil in a wok and heat it over high flame.
• Throw in the star anise as well as the Sichuan pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until they become fragrant.
• Drain them out, using slotted spoon and toss the ground pork into the aromatic oil in the wok.
• Brown the meat, while stirring it regularly, until it loses its pink colour, while breaking it into finer crumbs with the wooden spoon.
• Stir in the ginger and continue to sauté the mixture until the piquant whiff of the former reaches your nose.
• Add a splash of Shaoxing wine, followed by the sweet, fermented sauce and stir them all together until the mixture gives out a rich spicy aroma.
• Pour water generously until the mixture is completely covered in it and continue to heat the mixture until it starts boiling.
• Reduce it to a simmer and continue to cook at slow flame for about 15 minutes or until the sauce reduces to become thick and darkens considerably; keep warm over slowest flame.
• Sprinkle a dash of salt to season, tending to keep it a little over-salted for more authentic m flavours.
• Pour water into a pan and bring it to a boil.
• Dump the celery, carrot, cabbage, radish and bean sprouts, one by one into the boiling water to blanch and drain them out into a bowl.
• Rinse them under cold running water and pat dry to remove any moisture.
• Boil the noodles as per the package instructions until al dente and wash them under cold running water.
• Shake them to drain off any excess water and pile them up into two serving bowls.
• Top each serving with half of the blanched veggies and cucumber.
• Pour the hot pork sauce on top of each and finish it off with a sprinkling of chilli slices.
• Serve warm.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on February 22, 2013 by