Zha jiang mian (chinese braised pork and shiitake noodles with cucumber)
Pork second courses
Zhajiangmian (炸酱面) is one of my favorite home-cooked Chinese dishes of all time. People tend to think of things like orange chicken, honey walnut shrimp, and a befuddling thing called fried wontons when they think of Chinese food. These bad, greasy, congealed orbs and morsels stuck to the corners of takeout containers are not for the faint of heart, nor the heartburn inflicted. <br /> <br />This, my friends, is nothing of the sort. <br /> <br />Zhajiangmian is a classic Chinese noodle dish that my mom used to whip up all the time, even after we immigrated to Canada some twenty odd years ago. It’s everything that comfort food should be. The sauce is a succulent simmered pork sauce with dried shiitake mushrooms, and the mirepoix of Chinese cuisine -- garlic, ginger and green onion. It is simmered with cooking wine, tianmianjiang, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. All of that becomes a luscious flavor bomb, piled generously atop chewy fresh noodles, and finished with crisp, refreshing julienned cucumber. <br /> <br />Once you get a taste of this mouthwateringly sweet, savory, umami-rich meat sauce, you will be addicted. You will inhale a giant bowl of chewy noodles with zeal you didn’t know you had, not be embarrassed to ask for seconds, and lick your bowl and chopsticks clean. Later at night, you will sneak stealthily into the kitchen and heat up leftovers for the most amazing midnight snack ever! <br /> <br />Read my blog for tips on buying Asian ingredients for this recipe: http://pantryno7.com/zha-jiang-mian/
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