Midnight Noodles (Zha Jiang Mian)
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Thomas J. Story
Little Fatty’s thick handmade noodles are the real star here. If making your own is outside your bandwidth, look for a chewy Shanghainese noodle or use Japanese udon to soak up the rich sauce.
How to Make It
1
Set a large pan over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil and heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add diced onions and sauté until light brown and beginning to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the ground pork. Cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add scallions, ginger, and garlic and cook 5 minutes.
2
Raise heat to medium, and add black bean sauce, tianmianjiang, and shallot sauce. Cook 5 minutes until the sauces reduce and start to stick to the pan, then add black vinegar and rice wine to deglaze. Add sugar and black pepper and stir well, then add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes. Stir in half the cornstarch slurry to thicken, then turn off heat and stir in the rest.
3
Meanwhile, cook the wheat noodles according to the package directions. When they are ready, transfer to a bowl, mix in the sauce, and serve.
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
¾ cup diced white onion
¾ lb ground pork
¼ cup sliced scallions, white part only
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
⅓ cup black bean sauce
1 tbsp tianmianjiang (sweet flour sauce; hoisin makes a decent substitute)
¼ cup shallot sauce
1 tbsp black vinegar
¼ cup rice wine, such as Shaoxing
2 tsp sugar
pinch of black pepper
1 ½ cups chicken stock
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp. water to form a slurry
16 oz thick fresh Asian wheat noodles, like nian gao
Directions
1
Set a large pan over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil and heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add diced onions and sauté until light brown and beginning to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the ground pork. Cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add scallions, ginger, and garlic and cook 5 minutes.
2
Raise heat to medium, and add black bean sauce, tianmianjiang, and shallot sauce. Cook 5 minutes until the sauces reduce and start to stick to the pan, then add black vinegar and rice wine to deglaze. Add sugar and black pepper and stir well, then add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes. Stir in half the cornstarch slurry to thicken, then turn off heat and stir in the rest.
3
Meanwhile, cook the wheat noodles according to the package directions. When they are ready, transfer to a bowl, mix in the sauce, and serve.
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