炸酱 Fried Meat and Bean Paste Sauce

Many young urban Americans heard of the Korean Jajang used in Jajiangmyeon, noodles mixed with fried meat and bean paste sauce. Digging a little further, one would realized that this is a dish originating from the Chinese Zhajiang 炸酱, which is used in identically in noodle dishes bearing the name of Zhajiangmian炸酱面 and a popular dish in northern Chinese home-cooking. The recipe below is inspired by a Youtube post from a northern Chinese chef but I used Korean gochujiang mixed in with the Chinese Doubanjiang豆瓣酱 to flavor the sauce with extra spicy sweetness.

Ingredients:

• 60g dried shiitake mushrooms,

• 1 pound ground pork

• Chopped ginger, garlic, and green or regular yellow onions

• 400g Korean gochujiang + Chinese fermented bean paste

• 40g light soysauce

• 10g sugar or to taste

• Oyster sauce

• Cooking wine

• Dried bean curd (cut into small cubes)

• 1 large carrot diced

• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

Instructions:

• Soak dried mushroom in boiling water for 20 minutes, chop and reserve soaking water

• Stir-fry ground pork on high heat in 3-4 tbsp oil until browned, and then add chopped dried mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes

• Add chopped ginger, garlic, and onion and cook until fragrant

• Add chopped dried beancurd and carrots, stir fry for another 2-3 minutes

• Add condiments from mixed bean pastes through cooking wine, and mix well with meat and vegetables

• Add reserved mushroom soaking water (about 1 1/2 cup) and cook covered on low heat until water is absorbed

• Adjust flavor with salt and sugar

  Note: Good with 刀削面 or any type of rice