Beijing Soy Paste Noodles 炸酱面 or zhà jiàng miàn is literally translated to “fried sauce noodles“. It is a Northern Chinese dish that’s popular in Tianjin, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin and of course Beijing. It has stories dating back to the Qin Dynasty. So, this dish has been around for over 2,000 years!
Beijing Soy Paste Noodles 炸酱面 is one of the top 10 most famous noodle dishes in China. You can usually find diced pork belly fried in leeks, onions, garlic, yellow soy bean paste and/or sweet wheat paste, no matter which region you're in. Cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, green beans, pressed tofu, fried egg and soy beans can be found either in the bowl or on the side. These accompaniments are great for absorbing the oils from the pork belly.
Out of all the regions that have zhajiangmian, Beijing style seems to be the most popular. In Beijing style, they combine yellow soy bean paste, soy bean paste with chili and sweet wheat paste for the sauce. Some would also add a dry bean paste for added flavour. The only downside to this dish is that it is traditionally quite oily. If you don’t like too much oil, you can just spoon it out. Alternatively, you can make Taiwan style zhajiangmian by using ground pork instead of pork belly which is also a lot easier and faster.
In my recipe, I try to stay true to the Bejing style zhajiangmian, but I did make some slight adjustments to suit my family’s taste. Since I was making it for my son and I, I didn’t incorporate any chilis (he only likes it spicy if it’s curry, laksa, or Korean instant noodles). But if you like it hot, my recipe will show you how.
I also added tofu puffs (deep fried tofu), cut into little cubes and braised it along with the pork belly. It was my way of adding a bit more texture and reducing the amount of pork belly. The tofu puffs are like sponges. They absorb a lot of the sauce and it made each bite more flavorful. I also made my own basic Chinese noodles to go with it. If you’re ever able to use fresh noodles, you should do it because it makes a huge difference. You can find my recipe for basic Chinese noodles here. It’s easier than you think!
I love making Beijing Soy Paste Noodles 炸酱面 because you can make it visually attractive with all the different vegetables. It is an extremely versatile dish that can cater to any preference, including making it vegetarian.
Beijing Soy Paste Noodles 炸酱面
Ingredients
- 600 g Pork belly , diced
for lower fat versions, you may use any type of diced pork or ground pork which also works quite well and reduces cooking time - 150 g Tofu puffs (optional), diced
I like adding tofu puffs because it can absorb a lot of the sauce and makes each bite more flavorful. You can also use 300g of pressed tofu in addition or substitute it for some of the meat. Do not use soft tofu because it will fall apart during cooking - 50 g Leeks , sliced into large pieces
- 1-2 Thai chilies , chopped (optional)
- 4 cloves Garlic , chopped
- 1-2 Shallots , chopped
- 2 tbsp Soybean sauce/paste 黄豆瓣酱
to make it spicy, substitute 1 tbsp of soybean sauce/paste for hot soybean sauce/paste 辣豆瓣酱 - 1 tbsp Sweet paste (wheat) 甜面酱
can be substituted with Hoisin sauce 海鲜酱 - 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 c Water
- 1 tsp Oil
- 1 Carrot , finely sliced into narrow strips
- 1 Cucumber , finely sliced into narrow strips
- 1 c Soy beans (edamame beans)
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 6 portions Your favorite noodles
Instructions
- Dice pork belly and tofu puffs into 1 cm cubes and separate fat cubes from lean cubes. Then set aside
- Add 1 tsp of oil to the pan and add the fat pork belly cubes, cook at low heat for 10-15 minutes until they shrink approx. 25%. Remove fat cubes from pan
- Add leeks to pan and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Discard leeks leaving the rendered fat in the pan
- Add shallots, garlic and chilis to the pan and cook for 5 minutes
- Increase heat to medium high and add lean and fat pork to the pan. Stir well
- When meat is lightly golden, add 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp yellow soy paste, 1 tbsp sweet paste, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and 1 cup water (or enough to cover the meat and tofu) into the pan. Turn down heat to low and cook with lid for 40 minutes or until meat is tender. Stir every 10-15 minutes. Add more water if water has evaporated
If using ground pork, cook for around 10 minutes or until tofu puffs are not chewy - You can use this time to slice your accompanying vegetables
You can serve the vegetables on a separate dish or together in the same bowl - Add sesame oil to the soy beans, mix and set aside
You may add some sliced chilis and garlic for an added kick - Boil water and cook noodles
- Use a ladle and spoon out the top layer of oil it’s your preference how much fat you want to keep in the pan
I typically try to remove as much of the oil as possible and I will mix one teaspoon of the fat into each bowl of noodles before adding the meat sauce to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other - Add a teaspoon of the rendered pork fat (optional) into the bottom of each noodle bowl. Add noodles and mix with the fat
- Put one ladle full of the meat sauce onto the noodles
- Put the carrots, cucumbers and soy beans in the bowl or on a separate plate
An easy to follow 5-star recipe! I love how it only calls for common ingredients that are usually already found in an Asian kitchen. It’s something quick and easy that I can pull together any time!
Thanks for the feedback Kat! I hadn’t considered this one as a quick and easy recipe, but you make a good point! I’ll add this one to my list of things to make when I’m in a time crunch. Happy Cooking!
This recipe is a hit at our house! I used ground pork, hot soy paste and hoisin sauce. We enjoy spicy food and added six Thai chilli peppers, it was just the right amount of heat. Recipe was easier to execute than expected!
Hi Leanna! Thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear that your family enjoyed the recipe! Wow! 6 Thai chilli peppers? 🥵 Impressive!!! 😀 Happy Cooking!