VoxVib

Zhajiangmian is a Chinese dish that every cook makes differently. It can be made with minced pork or small cubes of pork belly. I’ve eaten versions with cooked cucumber (most use the raw stuff), with mushrooms and without, and topped with blanched bean sprouts and other vegetables, in addition to the usual carrot.

If you want to save a little time, buy thick-sliced, frozen, skin-on pork belly from shops that sell meats for Korean barbecue, then cut it into strips while it’s just partially thawed. For a vegan version of the dish, substitute about 300g (10½ oz) of firm bean curd – cut into small cubes – for the pork and double the amount of Korean squash.

The sauce is intense and salty, and should be used sparingly – just enough to coat the noodles. The amount of sauce in the recipe will serve eight to 10. The raw vegetables help to balance the strong flavour of the sauce. It might not be traditional, but I also like to add a splash of Chinese vinegar to the sauce, just before mixing it with the noodles and vegetables.

There are several types of Chinese bean paste, which varies depending on what region it is produced in. Check the ingredients label: it shouldn’t contain much more than broad beans or soybeans, with wheat or wheat flour, salt, sugar and, sometimes, flavour enhancer and oil. Zhajiangmian made with Japanese miso in place of the bean paste is a delicious, elegant variation.

The Korean adaptation of the dish is called jajangmyeon, which gets its darker colour – almost black – from the use of black bean paste, instead of the Chinese soybean or broad bean paste. Jajangmyeon also has a lot more vegetables in the sauce – often Korean squash (which I add to this version), cabbage, diced potatoes and daikon.

Leftover sauce keeps well in the freezer.

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