Zha Jiang Mian (Noodles With Minced meat Sauce)

With no plans to go anywhere last Sunday, we stayed home and rest. That meant I cooked too!

Seeing that I still have a handful of jiaozi lying in my freezer, I wanted to cook another dish to go along with them, and so... Zha jiang mian, aka noodles with minced meat sauce was the way to go!

Glad I have a hubby who gives me all freedom to cook or bake anything, and he will just eat it all the same!

Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面)
Recipe by Foodie Baker
(serves 2) (Original recipe serves 4 but I halved it)

250g noodles (I bought those slightly flat and white chinese style noodles from NTUC. They can be found at the instant noodles and pasta section)
3 pieces of dried shiitake mushrooms
1 medium red onion, chopped into small pieces
1/2 carrot, peeled and cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
250g minced meat
1.5 tbsp spicy bean paste
1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (optional)
1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
1.5 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
Salt and white pepper
1 Japanese cucumber, shredded finely
Spring onion, chopped - for garnish
Chili oil (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Add in the noodles and cook per package's instructions, or until soft and tender. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water until the noodles are cooled. Drizzle with a little olive oil and stir around so that the noodles don't stick to each other. Keep it covered aside until needed.

2. Place the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl, add in enough boiling water (not the water used to cook the noodles) until they are covered. Soak them for 30 minutes until they became soft. Squeeze them dry, chop and discard the stems. Dice or slice the mushrooms. Strain the mushroom water to get rid of any dirt or grit and top up with plain water until it reaches 350ml.

3. In a large pot, add in a good couple of lugs of oil and heat over medium heat. Add in the onion and carrot and sautéed until the onion has softened and became translucent. Add in the garlic and sautéed until fragrant. Add in the minced pork and cook until the most of the pork's no longer pink in colour. Add in the sliced/diced mushrooms and the bean paste.

4. Add in the reserved mushroom water and the dark soy sauce, vinegar, light soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Turn up the heat and bring the sauce to a boil, then turn it down to low heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning till it suits your taste. Add more water if the sauce is too dry.

5. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of water and stir into the sauce gradually until it starts to thicken. You may not need all of it.

6. Place the noodles in individual bowls and spoon the sauce generously over the noodles. Top with shredded cucumber and spring onion and drizzle in chili oil if desired. Dig in while it's hot!