Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles (Zhajiangmian)

by Sarah

in Asian Dishes, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Entrees, Nut free

These saucy noodles are quintessential Beijing street food, a popular dinner dish that has lines for weeks. With just a few ingredients, this simple recipe is packed with authentic flavor and ready in 30 minutes.

Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles - Zhajiangmian - saucy, delicious 20minute one pot meal! | www.savoringspoon.comThese noodles are my favorite noodle dish since I was a kid living in China. My family is from ShanXi province (just west of Beijing), which prides itself as the noodle capital. There, people eat steamed noodles, soup noodles, one long noodle that fills an entire bowl (it really is LONG), beef noodle, and Beijing fried sauce noodles, aka Zhajiangmian. The Chinese characters for Zhajiangmian are 炸酱面. 炸 means fried, 酱 means sauce, and 面 means noodles. The sauce itself (before being packaged into a jar at the store) is fried, hence the “fried” in the  name. Since this dish originated in Beijing, it is translated to Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles. 

Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles - Zhajiangmian - saucy, delicious 20minute one pot meal! | www.savoringspoon.comBeijing fried sauce noodles are made by cooking the sauce and mixing it into plain white noodles that are boiled separately. The dish is garnished with a big dollop of sliced cucumber, for a crunchy saucy noodle when it’s all mixed together. The sauce is the best part, and you can eat it with rice too if you like rice better!

Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles - Zhajiangmian - saucy, delicious 20minute one pot meal! | www.savoringspoon.comThis dish is also a fast one – you can make it in just 30 minutes! It’s one of the simplest noodle recipes I know and people really enjoy it (great for potlucks). If you want to cook food that will last you a couple meals, this is also where it’s at. I make Zhajiangmian frequently when I am busy and this recipe lasts me for a week of dinners. When you reheat the Zhajiangmian sauce, add a little water to make it fluid again (it tends to thicken up in the fridge), boil it for a few minutes till it’s hot, and spread it on plain noodles for a yummy 10 minute dinner.

Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles - Zhajiangmian - saucy, delicious 20minute one pot meal! | www.savoringspoon.com

Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles - Savoring Spoon

Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles (Zhajiangmian)

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 6 tablespoons black bean sauce
  • 2 russet potatoes diced 1cm x 1cm x 1cm dimensions
  • 2 cups boiling hot water
  • 24 Oz Chinese noodles*
  • 1 cup cucumber cut to matchsticks
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Instructions
 

  • Peel and dice two russet potatoes. Let soak in water as you prepare the rest, so the starch comes out to the water.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a wok or stir fry pan on high, and let the oil heat up for 1 minute.
  • Add thawed ground pork and break into pieces with a spatula, stirring ask you cook till meat is brown all over and only small pieces are left.
  • Meanwhile boil some Chinese noodles on high heat in a separate pot.
  • Add 6 tablespoons black bean paste to the ground pork, and stir till equally mixed.
  • Add drained diced potatoes, then add 1.5 cups of hot boiling water. This can be the water leftover from boiling the noodles (contains starch from the noodles to help thicken the sauce). You can also use the water you soaked the potatoes in if you heat it up first.
  • Turn the heat down to medium-low and boil 10 minutes with a lid on the sauce, until potatoes are cooked (soft). Depending on your stove, you may use medium instead of low heat - use the heat setting that lets you see soft bubbles but not full blown boiling. Make sure to keep the cap on so the potatoes cook fast and the sauce doesn't get too dry.
  • If most of your liquid has boiled off in the previous step, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup hot water to the cooked sauce to make the sauce more saucy . Stir well.
  • Pour 1 serving of meat sauce over 1 serving of noodles and garnish with cucumbers cut into matchsticks.
  • Mix and enjoy!

Notes

Nutritional information is for 8 servings
*Chinese noodles can be purchased at your local Asian store, pre-made to raw noodles. Don't use the dry kind, use the fresh raw noodles. These can be frozen in your freezer if you don't eat it all at once.
*Black Bean Sauce can also be purchased at your local Asian store or online if you don't live close to an Asian store. I used the Lee Kum Kee brand.

Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles Nutriton Facts

Like Asian Noodles? Check out these recipes:

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup-1

BBQ spare rib noodle soup

BBQ rib noodle soup

Leave a Comment

{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Patrick January 19, 2019 at 4:00 pm

Hi Sarah – looks great. But i went looking for black bean paste/sauce in a chinatown and did not have any luck. I read below about the
Paste you used. Dumb question – is soy bean paste the same is black bean? I thought both beans are distinct. Thank you. Will try this recipe or close to it tomorrow.

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2 Sarah January 20, 2019 at 11:03 am

Hi Patrick, great question! The soy bean paste and black bean sauce can be used interchangeably. I think when black bean sauce is sold in Chinese stores they actually make it from soy beans and taste about the same. For this recipe I used a paste that said “soy bean paste” on it but I have used black bean paste when I made the updated version of this recipe and it tasted very similar. PS if you want to try the updated version of this recipe, I recommend this one. They are similar but the sauce in the updated version is shinier and more liquid than the sauce in this first recipe.

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3 Ron July 14, 2018 at 10:49 am

Would you kindly tell us more about the black bean sauce you use?

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4 Sarah July 15, 2018 at 9:04 pm

I use a black bean sauce that is actually labeled “Soybean Paste” and I purchase it from the Asian grocery store. There is also a similar sauce that is actually labeled “black bean paste” and has Korean characters on it which I also tried, but that one does not taste quite the same. The one I used in the recipe says “Soybean Paste” in English and has Chinese characters on the rest of the packaging. It’s in the sauce and condiments section of most Asian stores whether Chinese or Korean.

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5 Zainab October 29, 2014 at 12:20 pm

First of all, it’s great to meet you. This is my first time in your blog and I’m in love with your recipes!! Everythin looks so delicious, like these noodles. Love all the sauce going on.

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6 Sarah October 29, 2014 at 12:51 pm

Thanks Zainab! Great to meet you too! I like saucy noodles (saucy things in general) too!

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7 Cana Sun October 28, 2014 at 10:15 pm

My mom used to make that for me all the time. I’ve to to try making it on my own sometime! Your photos make me crave it haha.

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8 Sarah October 28, 2014 at 11:46 pm

Hi Cana, I’m glad you like it! My family eats this a lot too!

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9 Jess @ whatjessicabakednext October 28, 2014 at 11:12 am

These noodles look amazing! Love the flavours, so good!

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10 Sarah October 28, 2014 at 5:19 pm

Thanks Jess!

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11 Marta October 27, 2014 at 8:22 pm

Only people as skinny as you can truly enjoy eating lots of this and forgive themselves for the %fat content 😛 Wish I could try some!!

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12 Sarah October 28, 2014 at 5:19 pm

Aww Marta once in a while and in moderation is ok! And you are in great shape!

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13 Anne October 27, 2014 at 10:40 am

OMG, I miss these so much!!!
Your noodles look amazing! Such beautiful pictures… 😀

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14 Sarah October 27, 2014 at 11:14 am

Hi Anne! I’m glad you like the noodles! I have a big weakness for saucy noodles too.

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15 Grace October 27, 2014 at 10:22 am

This looks delicious! We have a similar dish in Korean cuisine called jjajangmyeon, which is essentially a Korean adaptation of the Chinese dish. The sauce is blacker though and is often made with diced onions and sometimes seafood. Thanks for the recipe!

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16 Sarah October 27, 2014 at 10:28 am

Thanks Grace! I’ve had jiajangmyeon before, it’s very yummy too!

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17 Joanne October 27, 2014 at 4:20 am

I’ve really yet to meet an Asian noodle dish that I didn’t love! These sound awesome. So full of flavor!

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18 Sarah October 27, 2014 at 10:27 am

Thanks Joanne! I’m glad you like it!

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19 Ami@NaiveCookCooks October 25, 2014 at 3:38 pm

Never tried anything like this before!! Will be making this soon with tofu or chicken!

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20 Sarah October 25, 2014 at 4:23 pm

I think this will taste great with tofu or chicken (plus healthier)!

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21 Thalia @ butter and brioche October 23, 2014 at 7:15 pm

I love anything flavoured with black bean sauce so I know I would love these Beijing noodles. Great recipe Sarah, they look delicious – especially drenched in all that sauce.

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22 Sarah October 23, 2014 at 9:32 pm

Thanks Thalia!

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23 Maryanne @ the little epicurean October 23, 2014 at 7:03 pm

Thanks for sharing the recipe! I have to make this for my boyfriend. He loves zhajiangmian! (Btw, I love your photos!)

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24 Sarah October 23, 2014 at 7:06 pm

Thanks Maryanne! I hope he likes it!

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25 Nagi@RecipeTinEats October 23, 2014 at 4:34 pm

The sauce is just black bean sauce?? I’m truly amazed, I never would have guessed that! I’ve ordered this a few times and I love it, I just never guessed the sauce was so simple. I also particularly love the potato in this! Stir fries with potatoes in them are not very well known in Australia which is SUCH a shame because they are so delicious! I grew up thinking it was normal to have potatoes in stir fries because there is a classic Japanese dish that has it. This is awesome Sarah! Pinning! (PS I am also guessing this sauce will freeze well which is another reason to make a BIG batch!)

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26 Sarah October 23, 2014 at 5:07 pm

Hi Nagi, I love potatoes in stir fries too – Japanese curry is really yummy with potatoes in it! I haven’t tried freezing the sauce yet (I usually eat it within one week), but based on the ingredients I think it’ll freeze well!

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27 annie@ciaochowbambina October 22, 2014 at 9:14 pm

This looks delicious! I love pork with anything so I’m sure I’m going to love this!

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28 Sarah October 22, 2014 at 9:19 pm

Hi Annie, I’m glad you like it! Enjoy!

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29 Mira October 22, 2014 at 3:30 pm

These noodles look so delicious and flavorful! I actually like eating pork and potatoes together and this is just perfect! Will try them, pinned to my Asian board 🙂

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30 Sarah October 22, 2014 at 4:10 pm

Thanks Mira! I’m glad you like this flavor combination!

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31 Emily October 22, 2014 at 2:20 pm

My kids love asian noodles- I will have to try this! Such nice lighting in these photos.

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32 Sarah October 22, 2014 at 4:10 pm

Thanks Emily! Hope your kids like these too!

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