Zhajiangmian is highly nutritious. The pork used for the meat sauce is rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other components, making it one of the most common and affordable meat foods. The noodles, made from flour, contain carbohydrates and a small amount of B vitamins, serving as the "main force" for providing energy to the body. Skillful households may also add cabbage juice, vegetable juice, pumpkin puree, etc., to the flour to create noodles rich in vegetable nutrients. At the same time, the accompanying vegetables are also rich in vitamins. It can be said that a small bowl of zhajiangmian provides extremely rich nutrients.
Here are two recommended zhajiangmian recipes:
1. Beijing Zhajiangmian
Ingredients: 400g noodles, a small amount of pork belly, appropriate amount of carrots, soybean sprouts, cucumber; scallions, light soy sauce, cooking wine, yellow bean paste, sweet bean paste, green onions, white sugar
Method:
1. Separate the fat and lean pork belly and dice them. Shred the cucumber and carrots.
2. Heat oil in a wok. Add the diced fat pork and stir-fry until the oil is rendered out, then add the lean pork. When it becomes fragrant, add a small amount of light soy sauce and cooking wine, then remove the meat from the wok.
3. Mix yellow bean paste and sweet bean paste in a 2:1 ratio, or adjust to personal taste. Use the oil from frying the pork to fry the sauce. First, use high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer slowly. Use plenty of oil and do not let it burn. Once the sauce is fragrant, add the meat from step 2, stir-fry a few times, and sprinkle with scallions before removing from heat.
4. In another pot, boil the noodles and drain them. Top with the sauce from step 3 and garnish with shredded carrots, soybean sprouts, and cucumber (these can be blanched in boiling water first). Serve.
2. Korean-style Zhajiangmian
Ingredients: Cucumber, seasonal vegetables (such as celery, napa cabbage), carrots, onions, radish, bean sprouts, etc.
Seasonings: Authentic Korean jjajang, a little soy sauce, beef flavor bouillon (Ottogi), cooking wine, starch, etc.
Method:
1. Let's skip boiling the noodles and get straight to the jjajang! First, let's talk about how to make the meat jjajang.
2. As the name suggests, meat jjajang starts with cutting high-quality meat into cubes (chicken). Then, season with salt, cooking wine, and a small amount of starch (to ensure the meat stays tender and fresh).
3. When the oil is about 80% hot, add some minced ginger first, then add the meat cubes. Stir with a spatula, then add a small amount of soy sauce for color (note: for color, not for seasoning, so don't add too much, otherwise the sauce will be too salty). Immediately pour in the authentic Korean jjajang paste. Next, turn the heat down to low, to a level where the sauce is bubbling gently but not vigorously. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little water now.
4. Add some sugar and beef flavor bouillon (some MSG can be bitter, but Ottogi definitely won't). Generally, no salt is needed. Taste and adjust to your preference. After that, you must continuously stir the sauce in one direction with a spatula, stir, stir... (do not stir randomly).
5. Stir until when? Stir until the sauce turns jujube-red, becomes fragrant, and oil starts to separate. This is about right. The whole process generally takes 10-15 minutes. When the sauce is almost done, add the vegetables on top.
Tip: Although zhajiangmian is delicious, it cannot be denied that during the cooking process, both the sauce and the noodles themselves contain a large amount of salt. For people with high blood pressure, zhajiangmian is not an ideal choice, as excessive salt intake is not beneficial for blood pressure control. However, for those with high blood pressure, there is a solution: you can use fresh tomato sauce instead of bean paste or sweet bean paste. Simply chop the tomatoes, stir-fry them briefly in a little oil, and pair them with fresh and fragrant vegetables like cucumber, carrots, and cilantro. This way, you can enjoy the noodles while effectively controlling your salt intake.