Chinese Noodles In Meat Sauce (Zha Jiang Mian)
15m prep 25m cook 40m ready
A savory Chinese noodle dish with ground pork in a fermented bean sauce, topped with fresh cucumber and green onions. It's a family-friendly meal often called 'Chinese spaghetti.'
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes diced
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2 tsp garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger finely minced
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sweet bean sauce
- 1 tbsp bean sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry Marsala wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots optional
- 1 lb dried thin or wide Chinese noodles
- 1 cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers finely julienned, for garnish
- 2 green onions finely chopped, for garnish
- Chili sauce for garnish
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 15 of 17 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 103 mg
- Iron: 6.83 mg
- Magnesium: 97 mg
- Phosphorus: 387 mg
- Potassium: 762 mg
- Zinc: 4.06 mg
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
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Step 2.
While the water heats, make the sauce. Preheat a wok over high heat until wisps of smoke rise. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Carefully add 1 pound ground pork, breaking it up with a spatula. Fry, stirring and flipping, until browned with crispy edges, about 4–5 minutes. Remove wok from heat; use a slotted spoon to transfer pork to a small bowl. Discard residual oil and rendered fat (wipe wok with a towel if desired, but do not wash).
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Step 3.
Return wok to high heat; add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering. Add 1 cup diced tomatoes, 1 chopped green onion, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon minced ginger. Stir-fry 1–2 minutes until tomatoes soften slightly. Add 1½ cups water, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons sweet bean sauce, 1 tablespoon bean sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, and 1 teaspoon sugar; stir to combine. Let simmer 2 minutes. Return browned pork to wok; stir. Add 1 cup frozen peas and carrots; stir. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
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Step 4.
While the sauce simmers, add 1 pound dried Chinese noodles to the boiling water. Cook 9–11 minutes until soft but still firm (not mushy). Drain well.
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Step 5.
To serve, toss noodles with sauce or arrange noodles on a plate and ladle sauce on top. Garnish with finely julienned cucumber, chopped green onions, and chili sauce.
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