Beijing Zhajiangmian

Ingredients

• 500g fresh thick wheat noodles
• 400g pork belly, skin removed, cut into 5mm dice
• 4 tbsp yellow soybean paste (huangdoujiang)
• 2 tbsp sweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang)
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 spring onions, whites minced and greens sliced
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 150ml water
• 1 cucumber, cut into fine matchsticks
• 1 carrot, cut into fine matchsticks
• 100g mung bean sprouts
• 100g shelled edamame or soybeans
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced

Before you cook

• Stir the yellow soybean paste and sweet bean sauce together with the 150ml of water until smooth and lump-free.
• Cut the cucumber and carrot into matchsticks and keep them cold.
• Blanch the bean sprouts and edamame for 60 seconds in boiling water, then drain and cool them.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and add the diced pork belly.
2. Fry the pork for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered out and the dice are browned and crisp at the edges.
3. Spoon off all but about 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat.
4. Add the minced spring onion whites and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
5. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and let it evaporate.
6. Add the thinned bean paste mixture and stir it into the pork.
7. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce cook for 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so it does not catch.
8. Stir in the sugar and cook a further 3 minutes, until the sauce is very dark, thick and glossy with a rim of oil.
9. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the noodles according to their thickness, usually 3 to 5 minutes.
10. Drain the noodles and rinse them briefly under cold water if you want them served cool in the summer style.
11. Divide the noodles between four bowls.
12. Spoon a generous mound of the sauce into the centre of each bowl.
13. Arrange the cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts, edamame and radish around the sauce.
14. Scatter the sliced spring onion greens over the top and tell everyone to mix their own bowl thoroughly before eating.