Simple Zhajiangmian aka Fried Sauce Noodle Recipe

To be honest, I have nothing particular in mind when I wandered into the famous Asian grocer 'Wah Nam Hong' in China town at the Hague. Since there was ongoing sales, probability is high that I may score some interesting discounted items home.

Over a pile of boxes, I instantly zoomed into Zhajianmian instant mix which triggered my interest. Zhajianmian (炸酱面) can be literally translated as fried sauce noodles in Chinese. It is actually noodle topped with stir-fried ground pork in fermented soybean paste mixture. My favourite outlet for a good bowl of zhajiangmian back home is the Esquire Kitchen Restaurant. The noodle is served dry with generous portion of julienne carrot and cucumber. It tastes best with a dash of specialty fermented soybean chili sauce.

I would like to feature this simple zhajangmian recipe which you can replicate easily at home with the zhajiangmian instant mix.

Ingredients: 

• 1 sachet of zhajiangmian instant mix
• 1/2 pack of Japanese yellow noodle
• carrot and cucumber (cut into stripes or shreds)
• 3 button mushrooms (cut into cube)
• some fried shallots

Instructions: Cook the noodle and button mushrooms in a heated pot with boiling water. Set aside the noodle and mushroom in the bowl. Then, assemble the carrot and cucumber shreds in the same bowl. Pour in the zhajiangmian instant mix and lastly garnish the noodles with some fried shallots as the finishing touch.

Mixed the noodles well with all the ingredients before digging-in.

If you crave for a bowl a zhajiangmian like me, try this simple yet delicious recipe at home today :)

Additional tips
a. No extra cooking oil is required as the instant mix already contained sufficient oil
b. The instant mix comes with ground pork chunks. For huge serving, it is recommended to add-in extra minced pork or chicken to the mixture. Best to stir fry the meat minced with the instant mix to married the flavour before serving. Add-in salt and pepper to taste if required.