HAAAAY everyone it’s Carlos again! I wanted to do something a little different, so today I’m gonna show you guys how to make my girlfriend and I's version of zhajiangmian! Traditionally, it’s a noodle dish that has soybean paste also known as “fried sauce”, some form of ground meat (usually pork or beef) and a variety of vegetables. Ours is a little different because we use ground chicken so that it makes it ever so slightly healthier!
This recipe can feed 2 people. Scale up or down depending on the quantity. Anyways, here’s what you need!
SAUCE:
- 1/2 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 grated zucchini
- 3-4 diced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 diced shallot or onion
- 2 minced cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- 1/2 tsp of minced ginger
- 1 tbs sweet flour paste
- 1/2 tbs hot bean paste
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth
- 1-2 bundles of thick noodles (dry or fresh)
*If you don’t have hot bean paste or salted soy bean, you can substitute with red miso*
GARNISH:
- 1/2 cup green or white cabbage
- 1/2 cup seedless english cucumber
- 1/2 cup of carrots
- 1/2 cup of daikon
- 1/2 cup of green onion
*You can cut these however you like, but we prefer julienned*
First, on a medium high heat pan, add some oil and cook your ground chicken until it’s all the same color. Be sure not to over cook the chicken so that you don’t dry it out. Remove from heat and transfer to the side.
Mix the soybean sauces together to create the base of the sauce.
In the same pan, apply some more oil and add your alliums (onions, garlic) and ginger. Sauté until slightly translucent then add your zucchini and mushrooms. Sauté together for about 2 minutes, then add the soybean sauce from before and chicken broth. Mix together until homogeneous and add the ground chicken back into the pan. Turn the heat down to a medium and keep stirring until the sauce has reduced and is thick.
Now all that’s left is the noodles! So in a separate pot, bring some water to a boil and add your noodles. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the desired texture and remove from the water.
*Here’s a little flavor tip! Add a cap full of white vinegar to the water to enhance the noodle flavor!*
At long last we’re ready to eat! Place the noodles in a bowl, top them with the sauce and add your garnishes! Mix them all together and enjoy!!
