Beijing Zha Jiang Mian — Fermented Bean Paste Noodles

Ingredients

• 400 g thick wheat noodles, hand-pulled or knife-cut; not thin noodles
• For the zha jiang sauce
• 300 g pork mince
• 200 g huang dou jiang, fermented yellow soybean paste — not doubanjiang, not sweet bean paste
• 30 g tian mian jiang, sweet wheat paste; optional, for balance
• 2 tbsp pork lard, or neutral oil; lard is traditional
• For the toppings
• 1 cucumber, finely shredded
• 100 g mung bean sprouts, blanched or raw
• 100 g edamame, shelled and cooked
• 100 g radish, julienned

Method

1. 1
   Heat the lard or oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the pork mince and stir-fry, breaking it apart, until all moisture has cooked off and the meat is dry and beginning to colour. The wok should sound dry — no sputtering liquid remains.
2. 2
   Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the huang dou jiang and, if using, the tian mian jiang. Stir constantly, pressing the paste into the meat. Continue to fry slowly for a minimum of 20 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: the sauce must be fried long enough for the raw, sharp fermented paste flavour to cook out entirely and for the oil to separate and rise visibly to the surface, leaving a glossy, deeply coloured sauce beneath.
3. 3
   Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil. Cook the thick noodles until just tender with no raw flour taste at the centre. Drain and divide among four bowls.
4. 4
   Arrange the cold toppings — shredded cucumber, mung bean sprouts, edamame, and julienned radish — separately on or beside the noodles. Spoon the hot zha jiang sauce over the noodles. Each diner mixes their own bowl at the table.