Lunch · 40 min · chinese

Beijing Black Bean Noodles

Dinner decisions, handled: Beijing Black Bean Noodles pairs fresh wheat noodles with ground pork for a 40-minute Chinese lunch.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 1 lb Fresh wheat noodles
• 12 oz Ground pork
• 0.33 cup Sweet bean sauce
• 1 tbsp Doubanjiang
• 1 Cucumber
• 2 cups Bean sprouts
• 3 Scallions
• 1 tbsp Fresh ginger

Steps

1. Fry the sweet bean sauce and doubanjiang in oil over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and the oil separates around the edges. Raw bean sauce tastes flat and pasty; fried bean sauce tastes like Beijing.
2. Add the pork and ginger, breaking the meat very fine, and cook until browned and the sauce coats every crumb. Splash in a little water if it tightens up — the sauce should be thick but spoonable.
3. Julienne the cucumber, blanch the bean sprouts 30 seconds, and slice the scallions. Zha jiang mian is a study in contrast: hot savory sauce against cold crisp vegetables.
4. Boil the noodles until springy, drain, and divide among bowls. Spoon the sauce over the center and arrange the vegetables around it in neat piles — presentation is part of the ritual.
5. Mix vigorously at the table before eating. The first bite should have noodle, sauce, and crunch all at once; that is the whole architecture of the dish.

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