Most American kids cannot imagine growing up without Spaghetti and Meat Sauce or Bolognese. For Chinese kids, it’s Za Jian Mein, Noodles with Pork Bean Sauce. It’s sweet and salty, with a chunky thick sauce that coats noodles so well, irresistible for kids, and a heaven sent for mom’s because it’s just too easy to make. It’s no wonder we ate this a gazillion times. We’d ask and before you know it, a piping hot bowl of noodles would be on the table.
*above photo was added on 7/23/13
When we got older, it became that reliable snack that we could heat ourselves. It stores well so mom would always have a large container of the sauce sitting in the fridge. We’d get home from school and just boil noodles and microwave sauce. See, just just like spaghetti and meat sauce.
I’m starting to think every kid should learn how to make Za Jiang Mein before moving out, a right of passage that guarantees years of happy eating. Quick, easy, cheap, and fool proof, even for those who have no idea how to cook. Seriously, packing a kid up for college? They should be sent away with three things, sweet bean sauce, ground bean sauce, and dried noodles.
*Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste. Every family makes this a little differently.
Za Jiang Mein
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 (6oz) can sweet bean sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 1/2 tablespoons ground bean sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- serve with noodles
- thinly sliced cucumber (optional)
- blanched mung bean sprouts (optional)
Instructions –
1. Heat oil in a large deep pan or wok on medium high heat. Saute scallions until lightly golden.
2. Add pork and break up lumps with a spatula as you stir until all has turned evenly brown and no pink is left.
3. Add sweet bean sauce, water, ground bean sauce, and sugar. Stir occasionally as you let sauce cook down to desired consistency, about 5 minutes. It should be pretty thick and viscous.
4. Serve over noodles and garnish with cucumber and/or bean sprouts.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can reheat on the stove top or in a microwave.
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Oh man this looks so good! I think this must be the original dish that the Korean/Chinese dish Ja Jang Myeon is modeled after. As much as I love ja jang myeon I have to say this looks better.
I so love dishas like this! I am just beginning to use bean sauces in my Chinese cooking & wokking!
Marc, this is what Korean Ja Jang Myeon is modeled after. Both are great. I love meat sauces so hooray for all meat sauces. haha
Sophie, glad you’re experimenting with the bean sauces. There’s so many and I hate when people think Asian food is just made with soy sauce.
Husband unit looked at this post yesterday, and when I opened the fridge this morning for coffee creamer, the words “Za Jiang Mein” appeared on the post-it with meals we plan to make next week (he crossed out steak). I believe that would be his way of telling me he likes your recipe.
I can now make Ja Jang Myeon at home?! So cool. I’ve seen a few Ja Jang Myeon recipes, but yours makes it seem very approachable. Thanks!
This looks excellent – I bet my daughter would love this dish!
The way my grandmother taught me is to use two 6oz cans of sweet bean sauce and one 6oz can of bean sauce (same brand you have pictured in the blue can). Aunt Sherry told me you can just use one can of each. I add water to the empty cans to get all the sauce out of the can and use that to thin the sauce. I don’t put as much meat as you do but I add onion, bean curd, dried shrimp and shitake mushroom. I love the cucumbers and bean sprouts- to me it is not optional and I’ll equal veggies to noodle ratio if I’m trying to cut down on carbs.
That looks really neat! I’ve never had a Chinese meal like that before!
EMC, yay, can’t wait to see it and I’m expecting hubby to make it for YOU. It’s so easy!!
Caroline, it really couldn’t get easier and it will last you several meals.
Olivia, yea, every time I’ve tasted someone elses Za Jiang Mein, it’s different, but I’ve never had one with dried shrimp and shitake mushrooms. But, my mom does make a vegetarian one that I will get the recipe for too. Oh, great note on the cutting carb. I have seen my mom do that.
I look forward to seeing the vegetarian one!
Okay, so I found ground bean sauce here (brand is Koon Chun–gelatinous, so I’m hoping I found the right ingredient) but the nice man at the international store here (yes, we’re that sad) told me he hasn’t been able to get in sweet bean sauce in 16 oz. cans for a long time. Can I sub something? Bean sauce + brown sugar?
In other words, what do you recommend for those of us who are unfortunately, regrettably in the middle of nowhere?
EMC, I wouldn’t sub that because it’s the main flavor of that dish. It’s available on-line. Click here for one site I found.
I must try this recipe. Seriously, I think I should stop my fear for Asian cooking (love to it, but to cook it?? that’s another story) because this looks amazing and kind of easy.
Thanks! I ordered some for next week, and had to stop Ian from trying to get it overnighted.
Heidileon, this is a good one to start with. Not much technique here. I post up a lot of Chinese/Asian recipes and many are very approachable ones so I hope you give them a shot.
EMC, I can’t wait to hear what you think! Ian, all good things come to those who wait. Is that how it goes?
I recently came upon your site and had to try this recipe; we really enjoyed it. We used more scallions and also added some ginger and a splash of sesame oil based on some other recipes I found online.
Thanks for sharing this home-y dish! It’s super-easy and very inexpensive to make.
FYI, for fellow NYCers I found the bean sauce,paste and noodles at Tan Tin Hung Supermarket at 121 Bowery.
I look forward to more recipes like this.
Seriously, I’m salivating here. Never tried making this dish before as I’m confused about the bean sauces. Would it be too much to ask to send the Chinese names? I can try to “match” the words in the grocery store. LOL
JS, I’m going to see my mom on Thurs and I’ll ask her to write it and I’ll scan it.
Sorry, I totally forgot while I was there. Will get it this week.
Oh, thank you very much!!!
JS, sorry for the delay. Ok, there’s 2 sauces for this. One is called Tien Mein Jiang but in English, sometimes they call it Sweet Bean Sauce, see pic here. Then, sometimes they call it Sweet Flour Sauce, see pic here . These two are the same but different brands. You may notice in the 2nd one that the middle word is slightly different. My mom says that’s just like a marketing thing….The other sauce is a bean sauce and you can used ground or not ground. The regular which has little bits is Yuan Sai Shr, pictured here. The ground one is smoother and is called Mua Yuan Shr, pictured here
I’ve only just recently discovered this site, and I must say, I’m totally in love with it! (:
My friends and I are definitely going to try out a good number of our recipes. Thanks for sharing!!
A good number of YOUR recipes. Haaahaa. Bad typo. Sorry!
Hi Michelle, thanks for the sweet note! I can’t wait to hear what you and your friends think of the my recipes! If you like taking pictures, I’d love to include yours in our fan pics section (right side bar).
I tested this dish before and been trying to look for recipe and I just find it today. thank you very much I will have my mom make it may be now that i know what it call i can tell her what it is. coz i told her what it look like but she could think what am i trying to tell her. we’re chinese and regularly cook chinese food at our house but my mom never make this dish for me so weird
I just posted about this recipe–it was fantastic! Next time I make it, I think I might dilute the bean sauces, however, as I’m salt sensitive.
EMC, you can dilute the bean sauces or just make sure to use less sauce, more noodles/cucumbers. It is a salty sauce intended to be used in small amounts.
We have a nearby Chinese restaurant that offers this dish, and calls it “Marco Polo’s favorite”. Is there any truth in that, or is it just because it resembles spaghetti with meat sauce?
Gene, I don’t know for sure but some say that spaghetti and meat sauce was derived from za jiang mien. I don’t know if that’s true or just an old wives tale.