Za Jiang Mien

This is a dish common in Chinese and Korean cuisines. It was something that I enjoyed quite a bit as I was growing up. My fiancee helped me track down a recipe, and after a few tries and revisions, I think I've finally gotten it down.

Ingredients
  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1/3 cup brown bean sauce
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup beer
  • 1 lb. Chinese noodles (non-egg-based)
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 1/2 cup shredded cucumbers
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • (optional) 1/4 cup bean sprouts
  • (optional) 1 package tofu, chopped into small pieces
Directions
  1. Heat the oil in the wok. When oil is ready, add the garlic, then the pork. Brown evenly. If so desired, add tofu after pork has been browned
  2. In a separate bowl, mix beer and brown bean sauce. Blend well.
  3. Add the bean sauce mixture to the ground pork.
  4. Sprinkle sugar and red pepper flakes into sauce. Stir until the sauce is piping hot. Reduce heat and allow to simmer uncovered.
  5. As sauce simmers, in a separate pot, boil noodles in water for approximately 3 min. Drain the noodles.
  6. To serve, put noodles into a bowl, then spoon sauce over noodles. Garnish generously with scallions, bean sprouts, and cucumber.