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Zha Ziang Mian (Chinese Spaghetti)

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Zha ziang mian, aka Chinese spaghetti, is one of Hungry Bear’s favorite comfort dishes. It has everything she likes… sweet, salty, spicy and carbs! The rich meaty sauce is nicely contrasted by the cool refreshing vegetable garnish.

It’s a popular item in Northern China and legend has it that Marco Polo got his inspiration for Italian spaghetti after spending time in China. Growing up, Hungry Bear often had this dish served with regular spaghetti noodles, but it’s best served with Chinese noodles. We included a photo of the brand we like in the slideshow.

The ingredient list looks long, but it’s actual quite easy to make. So the next time you want some spaghetti and meat sauce, give this Chinese version a try.

Zha Ziang Mian

Zha Ziang Mian Recipe

SND Note: Drain the pork fat to make the dish a little less greasy, but you may need to add a splash of chicken stock to prevent it from becoming too dry.

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons bean sauce
  • 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds ground pork
  • 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
  • 3 tablespoons green onions, minced
  • 1 pound Chinese noodles
  • 1/2 English cucumber, julienned
  • 2 carrots, julienned
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the bean, hoisin, chili garlic and soy sauces; reserve and set aside.
  2. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Toss in the garlic and ginger; cook until it’s fragrant about 10-15 seconds. Add the pork, stir constantly to break apart meat. Cook until just a bit of pink remains and it begins to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the wine and stir for a few seconds.
  3. Pour in the reserved sauce and stir to thoroughly coat the pork, until sauce is heated through. Add the green onions and toss to combine well. Serve pork over noodles and garnish with cucumber, carrots and bean sprouts.

Makes 6 servings

[Adapted from The Seventh Daughter by Cecilia Chiang]

[tags]pork, noodles, sauce, hoisin, chinese[/tags]

28 responses to “Zha Ziang Mian (Chinese Spaghetti)”

  1. Jen Yu Avatar

    Oh YUM!!!! I love this dish! Every time I ask my parents for the recipe they’re all, “which one?” and then they make it IMPOSSIBLE to decipher what to add and what not to add (besides, they don’t even agree with each other on how to make it). Yay – now I can try it from a source I trust πŸ™‚ Thanks guys!

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  2. Nate Avatar

    This dish really brings back some memories. I like the noodles dry like this, not over-sauced like the Korean style.

    Like

  3. astrorainfall Avatar

    WOW – I’m so craving this now. In Singapore, where I’m from, there are many Chinese restaurants that serve this so your droolicious photos are bringing back lovely memories tucking into this and xiao long paos with my besties.

    Like

  4. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) Avatar

    I love this! I make an almost identical dish with ground turkey instead of the pork. There is nothing better than meat sauce and noodles.

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  5. eleen Avatar

    yum. please send some asap. also, your photos are so dang clear! who knew you were so multi-talented…

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  6. Mrs. L Avatar

    Oh yummy looking. I’ve been trying to plan some meals for around Chinese New Year and this has to go on the list.

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  7. Michelle Avatar

    Looks great. Thanks for the photo of the noodle brand – very helpful!

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  8. sassysprite Avatar
    sassysprite

    i make this all the time..but i add the following:
    finely diced onions
    finely diced shitake mushrooms
    finely diced dried shrimp

    and i only use sweet bean sauce. it comes in a blue can.
    i also mix in a bit of the water that was used to soak the dried shitakes.

    in my house we eat it with blanched sprouts and julienned cucumbers.
    this is soooo amazing with fresh chinese noodles.

    now im craving it!!! =D

    Like

  9. gaga Avatar

    I love this dish and called it chinese spaghetti as a kid too. I also like to add a few shelled edamame to the dish for some veggies and color. Yours looks delicious!

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  10. Peter Avatar

    This looks so very appetizing and hungry bear….is also a Greek saying…”a hungry bear can’t dance”!

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  11. sugarlens Avatar

    Must make this dish soon. All the ingredients are very common, yet the dish looks so good!

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  12. Passionate Eater Avatar

    A large bowl of this Chinese spaghetti sounds very “comforting” to a passionate eater (as well as a hungry bear)!

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  13. Brenda Avatar

    This looks delicious but I am a little new to Chinese cooking. I have all of the ingredients except the wine. . . is there anything I can substitute? Regular red wine? i would love to know!

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  14. Chuck Avatar
    Chuck

    Hi Brenda, per this article a pale dry sherry would be a good substitute…

    shaoxing wine substitute

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  15. Brenda Avatar

    This has to be one of the best and easiest Chinese recipes I have tried in a very long time. My family devoured it and requested it again next week.

    LOVE this! Thanks!

    Like

  16. High Desert CHow Avatar
    High Desert CHow

    This looks great. But I am wondering what kind of bean sauce, black bean or bean paste that you use?

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  17. hungry bear Avatar
    hungry bear

    High Desert Chow,
    I use a jarred soy bean sauce (soy beans, water, wheat flour, sugar, salt). Don’t use black bean or chili bean sauce.

    Like

  18. High Desert CHow Avatar
    High Desert CHow

    Thanks for the info. I already love the pulled pork, have made it several times and am looking forward to trying this.
    Cheers!

    Like

  19. Hello Kitty Avatar
    Hello Kitty

    Hi Chuck,
    Can I substitute Shaoxing wine for a different type of wine? If yes, what do you suggest? I am going to test out your recipe this Sunday!

    Thanks,
    Hello Kitty

    Like

  20. hungry bear Avatar
    hungry bear

    hello kitty,
    you can use a dry sherry. check out the link in chuck’s comment above. hope you like the dish!

    Like

  21. Ally Avatar
    Ally

    actually It is Korean.

    Like

  22. bquiet Avatar
    bquiet

    WOW~ i’ve only eaten chinese korean version of zha ziang mian (or aka jja jang myun in korean) and i’ve always wondered what the authentic version would be like! can’t wait to try this. thanks!!!

    Like

  23. Halla Steiner Avatar
    Halla Steiner

    This is unbelievable! I am having rouble finding the Wu-Mu Dry Noodles and have substituted. I reccomend this to anyone who loves delicious food.

    Like

  24. Anne Avatar
    Anne

    Hello!

    I’ve never heard it being called Chinese spaghetti. What a strange name. I’m not sure I can wrap my mind around it.

    I am an ABC but my family was born in South Korea. I was told multiple times that it is a Chinese dish (we were originally from where this dish was also!) but Chinese people immigrated to Korea, opened restaurants, and voila! πŸ˜€

    I love this dish whatever it’s called. I am vegan, however, and I actually prefer just veggies in my sauce (lots of zucchini and onions). My family and relatives who own Chinese spaghetti restaurants in Korea use beef or chicken, so I wonder how it tastes with pork.

    Either way, I might make a vegan version of this recipe because it looks very interesting. I’ve never seen such dry sauce and I’m not a fan of black bean sauce on my face and clothes, so I think I’ll like it. Also, I’ve never seen it served with julienned veggies even in China. My family serves it with dac gwong (I’m not sure about the spelling). It is basically yellow pickled radish, very delicious! A little sweet, a little sour. Dac gwong is also Chinese. πŸ˜€

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  25. Ennis Tennyone Avatar

    I like peanut butter, but I don’t like it on my face and clothes. Anne, help me out here.

    Delicious!

    Like

  26. Holly A Avatar
    Holly A

    I used ground Chicken. It was so yummy. I used the left over meat on some Vietnamese BUN. SO good

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  27. […] on the menu was something new and totally interesting… CHINESE SPAGHETTI.Β Β This stuff was so good. It was made with rice noodles and beef. Then you top it off with as many […]

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