Zha Jia Mien - Sibu Version

Special chien mian gan of the Foochow dialectic group gives a special aroma once it is being boiled in a big pot of water. It is usually store bought in some outlets. It is not usually factory packed like instant noodles. Ask any Foochow aunty and she can tell you where to buy. It is a very humble sun dried noodle.


After boiling for about 10 - 15 minutes you get a nice texture . Plate the noodles. One round of the chien mien gan can make you three little servings like this.


Prepare a sauce (the name means fried sauce)  and some shredded cucumber you get this wonderful Zha jaing mian from Beijing.

Enjoy this recipe:

炸酱面 - zha jiang mian: is a dish you can order in Bejijing. Some people even call it the Beijing noodle or even King of Noodles. But I think there would be a lot of contenders for that title.

In Beijing you can also order the following to go with this noodle and have a wonderful dinner in a leisurely evening :

五花肉烧茄子  wu hua rou shao qie zi (braised pork and eggplant)

拨丝香蕉  bo si xiang jiao: banana fritters in hot toffee

 


But at home, I can prepare this noodle in a simple way...the Foochow aunty way.

Zha Jiang Mian (Beijing Bolognese)

1 cup minced pork or beef
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cucumber (or two) , shredded.
2 scallion stalks, chopped
1 cup bean paste
1 cup hot chili bean paste
1 cup water
3 rounds dried Foochow noodles or Chien Mien Gan
1 tsp. brown sugar (with more on reserve to taste)
Raw sprouts (as garnish)
Sesame oil/lard
Salt and black pepper to taste


Now Do This:
Coat the bottom of a large pan with sesame oil and place on medium-high heat. Add white onion and cook until slightly soft, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper and cook until there's very little pink left in the meat, 6-8 minutes.
Now it's time to add your bean pastes — this is going to be a matter of personal taste. I used three heaping spoonfuls of the regular bean paste, two heaping spoonfuls of the hot broad bean paste and a teaspoon of brown sugar; different ratios of these three ingredients will produce different results, and it's easy to adjust, so don't sweat it too much.
After dolloping in the pastes, add water and cucumbers, stir to combine and bring pan to a boil. After it boils, reduce heat and let the sauce simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. (While it's simmering, prepare your noodles according to package instructions.) Taste the sauce frequently to get a gauge on it. If it's too sweet, add more hot broad bean paste and/or black pepper. If it's too funky, adjust with regular bean paste and brown sugar. It's done when most all the added water has evaporated and the cucumbers are cooked to a soft but not mushy consistency. Add chopped scallions to the sauce and mix in just before serving.
Ladle sauce over cooked noodles, garnish with sprouts and enjoy.