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From @Chinese Cooking Demystified

Sichuan Za Jiang Noodle (杂酱面)

35 min · Serves 4

35 mintotal
15 minhands on
18steps
4servings

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Ingredients

For the Za Jiang meat sauce

  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • 500 g ground fatty pork (coarsely ground preferred)
  • 15 g fresh ginger, minced (about 1 tbsp)
  • 25 g Sichuan chili bean paste (Pixian Doubanjiang, 郫县豆瓣酱), finely minced
  • 15 g Sichuan sweet bean paste (Tianmianjiang, 甜面酱) or Cantonese ground bean sauce
  • 1/2 cup pork stock or chicken stock
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp MSG
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (Liaojiu, 料酒)
  • 1 tbsp potato starch
  • 2 tbsp water

For the bowl seasoning

    To assemble

    • 240 g dried wheat noodles (60 g per serving)
    • 4 head baby bok choy, halved
    • Chopped scallions, to garnish
    • Chopped cilantro, to garnish

    For the base bowl seasoning (per serving)

    • 1 tsp garlic water (1 clove minced garlic steeped in 1 tbsp hot water)
    • 1/2 tsp Chinese dark vinegar
    • 1/2 tbsp Sichuan chili oil
    • 1/4 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder
    • 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
    • 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1/8 tsp salt
    • 1/8 tsp MSG
    • 1/4 cup pork stock or chicken stock (use 1 cup stock for soup noodles)

    Method

    For the Za Jiang meat sauce

    1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok over medium heat, add the ground fatty pork, and stir to separate.

    2. Fry the pork for 2–3 minutes until it becomes loose and flows easily off the spatula.

    3. Stir in 15 g of minced ginger and continue frying for 2–3 minutes while scraping down anything sticking to the wok.

    4. Continue frying for another 2–3 minutes until the pork releases its lard, turns light golden brown, and turns dry and fragrant.

    5. Ladle a small splash of hot rendered lard into the 25 g of minced chili bean paste to thin it out, then add the thinned paste to the wok.

    6. Fry the chili bean paste with the meat for 1 minute until the oil turns red.

    7. Add 15 g of sweet bean paste and fry together for another 2 minutes.

    8. Pour in 1/2 cup of stock, bring to a simmer, and let it cook down for 3 minutes.

      Then 3 min of waiting

    9. Stir in 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp MSG, 1/2 tsp white pepper, and 1/2 tsp sugar.

    10. Add 1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine and simmer for 1 minute.

    11. Mix 1 tbsp potato starch with 2 tbsp water, then slowly drizzle the slurry into the wok while stirring continuously.

    12. Stir until the sauce thickens to a glossy consistency, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

    For the bowl seasoning

    1. Prepare the garlic water by mixing 1 clove of minced garlic with 1 tbsp of hot water.

    2. Add the garlic water, Chinese dark vinegar, Sichuan chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn powder, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, MSG, and stock (or water) directly into each serving bowl.

      For soup noodles, use 1 cup of stock per bowl instead of 1/4 cup.

    To assemble

    1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 60 g of dried noodles per serving according to package directions, adding the baby bok choy during the last minute of cooking.

    2. Transfer the cooked noodles and bok choy into the prepared seasoning bowls.

    3. Spoon 2 to 3 tbsp of the Za Jiang meat sauce over the top of each bowl.

    4. Garnish with chopped scallions and cilantro, then serve immediately.

    For the base bowl seasoning (per serving)

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