Zhajiangmian
Thick wheat noodles under a spoonful of dark, salty sauce — bean paste fried slowly with diced pork — and a heap of raw, crunchy vegetables to mix through.
What makes it zhajiangmian
- A small amount of intensely salty paste, fried until the oil separates.
- Thick, chewy wheat noodles.
- Raw shredded cucumber, radish and beansprouts — the càimǎ — mixed in by the eater.
Where it comes from
Beijing's everyday noodle, eaten at home and in small shops across the city. The sauce is soybean paste and sweet bean sauce fried in pork fat until dark and glossy; the noodles are hand-pulled or cut, served hot or rinsed cool in summer.
It's said to be from Shandong, like much of Beijing's cooking. Korea's jjajangmyeon and many other versions around China descend from it.
How it varies
- Guòshuǐ miàn
- Noodles rinsed in cold water, for summer.
- Jjajangmyeon
- The Korean-Chinese descendant, with a sweeter black bean sauce and onions.
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