Chinese Noodles In Meat Sauce (Zha Jiang Mian)
- 15m Prep Time
- 25m Cook Time
- 40m Ready In
A savory Chinese noodle dish with ground pork in a fermented bean sauce, topped with fresh cucumber and green onions. It's a family-friendly meal often called 'Chinese spaghetti.'
Ingredients
- 59.1 ml vegetable oil divided
- 454 g ground pork
- 237 ml diced fresh tomatoes diced
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 9.86 ml garlic finely minced
- 4.93 ml fresh ginger finely minced
- 355 ml water
- 44.4 ml soy sauce
- 44.4 ml sweet bean sauce
- 14.8 ml bean sauce
- 14.8 ml Shaoxing wine or dry Marsala wine
- 4.93 ml sugar
- 237 ml frozen peas and carrots optional
- 454 g dried thin or wide Chinese noodles
- 1 cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers finely julienned, for garnish
- 2 green onions finely chopped, for garnish
- Chili sauce for garnish
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 15 of 17 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 103 mg
- Iron: 6.83 mg
- Magnesium: 97 mg
- Phosphorus: 387 mg
- Potassium: 762 mg
- Zinc: 4.06 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 454 g ground pork
- 355 ml water
- 44.4 ml soy sauce
- 44.4 ml sweet bean sauce
- 14.8 ml bean sauce
- 14.8 ml Shaoxing wine or dry Marsala wine
- 4.93 ml sugar
- 454 g dried thin or wide Chinese noodles
Prepare
- 59.1 ml vegetable oil, divided
- Dice 237 ml diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 9.86 ml garlic, finely minced
- 4.93 ml fresh ginger, finely minced
- 237 ml frozen peas and carrots, optional
- 1 cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, finely julienned, for garnish
- 2 green onions, finely chopped, for garnish
- Chili sauce, for garnish
Let's Cook
-
Step 1.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
-
Step 2.
While the water heats, make the sauce. Preheat a wok over high heat until wisps of smoke rise. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Carefully add 1 pound ground pork, breaking it up with a spatula. Fry, stirring and flipping, until browned with crispy edges, about 4–5 minutes. Remove wok from heat; use a slotted spoon to transfer pork to a small bowl. Discard residual oil and rendered fat (wipe wok with a towel if desired, but do not wash).
-
Step 3.
Return wok to high heat; add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering. Add 1 cup diced tomatoes, 1 chopped green onion, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon minced ginger. Stir-fry 1–2 minutes until tomatoes soften slightly. Add 1½ cups water, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons sweet bean sauce, 1 tablespoon bean sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, and 1 teaspoon sugar; stir to combine. Let simmer 2 minutes. Return browned pork to wok; stir. Add 1 cup frozen peas and carrots; stir. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
-
Step 4.
While the sauce simmers, add 1 pound dried Chinese noodles to the boiling water. Cook 9–11 minutes until soft but still firm (not mushy). Drain well.
-
Step 5.
To serve, toss noodles with sauce or arrange noodles on a plate and ladle sauce on top. Garnish with finely julienned cucumber, chopped green onions, and chili sauce.