Lamb Noodle Soup
Henan-style lamb soup noodles with sesame paste, tofu skin and a warming, savoury broth.
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Beijing Zhajiang Noodles
Wheat noodles topped with slow-fried black bean pork and crisp vegetable shreds. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 老北京炸酱面, report 81.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 老北京炸酱面_81.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 35 minutesServings: 2Difficulty: Easy–MediumRegion: BeijingFlavour: Rich, savoury bean-paste
Why this works
Zhajiang is really two dishes that meet in the bowl: a sauce that rewards patience, and toppings that reward speed. The sauce is yellow soybean paste and sweet bean paste in a 2:1 ratio, loosened with warm water until smooth, then fried on the lowest possible heat for a full 15 minutes with constant stirring. That slow fry is what turns a raw, salty paste into something glossy, dark and deeply savoury, and the signal to stop is visual — the oil separates and floats on the sauce. The toppings do the opposite: cucumber and radish shreds get just 10 seconds in boiling water, then ice water, so they stay crisp and cold against the warm noodles, and the noodles themselves get 30 seconds in ice water so they stay springy instead of clumping. Two heaped spoonfuls of sauce is the report's measure, and it is enough — more drowns the vegetables.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork belly, cut into 0.5 cm dice | 2.8 oz | 80 g | Blanched before frying. Minced pork is a home alternative (adaptation). |
| Yellow soybean paste (dry huangjiang) | 2 tbsp + 2 tsp | 40 g | Loosen with warm water before frying. |
| Sweet bean paste | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 20 g | Ratio to yellow paste is 2:1. |
| Warm water, to loosen the pastes | 3 tbsp + 1 tsp | 50 ml | Stir until no lumps remain. |
| Wheat noodles (fresh hand-pulled style, or dried) | 7 oz | 200 g | Dried wheat noodles work; cook to the packet time instead of 2 minutes (adaptation). |
| Cucumber, cut into fine shreds | 1.8 oz | 50 g | Blanched 10 seconds, then iced. |
| Xinlimei radish, cut into fine shreds | 1 oz | 30 g | Daikon or ordinary red radish are substitutes (adaptation). Blanched 10 seconds, then iced. |
| Mung bean sprouts | 1 oz | 30 g | Blanched 1 minute, then cooled. |
| Scallion, chopped | 2 tsp | 10 g | Stirred into the finished sauce. |
| Neutral cooking oil | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 20 ml | — |
Equipment
- Heavy pan for the slow sauce fry
- Pot for noodles
- Bowls of ice water
- Slotted spoon
Steps
- Prepare the pork and pastes. Dice the pork belly 0.5 cm, blanch in cold water brought to a boil, and drain. Mix the yellow paste and sweet paste 2:1, add 50 ml warm water, and stir until completely smooth.
- Prepare the vegetable toppings. Cut the cucumber and radish into fine shreds. Blanch the shreds in boiling water for 10 seconds each, then plunge into ice water and drain. Blanch the bean sprouts for 1 minute and cool. Chill all the vegetables until serving.
- Fry the sauce — 15 minutes on low heat. Heat the oil, add the pork dice, and fry on medium heat for about 3 minutes until lightly browned and rendered. Turn to the lowest heat, pour in the loosened pastes, and stir constantly for 15 minutes, until the sauce is dark, glossy, and the oil separates and floats on top. Stir in the scallion and keep warm.
- Cook and chill the noodles. Boil the noodles until no white core remains — about 2 minutes for fresh noodles, or the packet time for dried. Drain and soak in ice water for 30 seconds, then drain again.
- Assemble. Put noodles in bowls, arrange the chilled cucumber, radish and bean sprouts on top, and spoon over about 40 g (2 heaped tablespoons) of sauce per bowl. Toss at the table.
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Technique: 15 minutes on the lowest heat, and oil separation
Zhajiang cannot be rushed: on anything above the lowest heat, the bean pastes scorch and turn bitter before they develop flavour. Stir constantly, set a timer for 15 minutes, and watch for the moment the sauce turns dark and glossy and a layer of oil floats free — that separation is the report's doneness signal, not the clock alone. The sauce keeps for 3 days refrigerated and must be reheated past 70 °C before serving (from the report).
Variations
- Make-ahead sauce.: The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead (from the report); reheat past 70 °C and stir well before serving.
- Extra toppings.: Blanched celery, edamame or shredded carrot can join the classic toppings at home (adaptation); keep them chilled and crisp.
- Richer bowl.: The report's premium version adds a braised egg, bean curd or plum drink on the side; a halved soy egg is the easiest home addition (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Why is my sauce bitter?
The heat was too high during the 15-minute fry, or the stirring stopped and the paste caught. Lowest heat and constant stirring are non-negotiable.
Why are my noodles sticky?
They probably skipped the ice-water step. Thirty seconds in ice water after boiling keeps wheat noodles springy and separate.
Can I make the sauce with only one paste?
The 2:1 balance is the point: yellow paste alone is too salty, sweet paste alone too sweet. If you must use one, adjust salt and sugar to taste (adaptation).
Storage
The sauce keeps 3 days refrigerated (from the report); reheat past 70 °C before serving. Cooked noodles keep 1 day refrigerated but lose their spring; the chilled vegetable toppings keep 1 day. Assemble fresh each time.
Beijing Zhajiang Noodles — Recipe Card
Wheat noodles with slow-fried bean-paste pork and crisp chilled vegetable shreds.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 35 minutesServings: 2
Ingredients: 80 g pork belly; 40 g yellow soybean paste; 20 g sweet bean paste; 50 ml warm water; 200 g wheat noodles; 50 g cucumber; 30 g radish; 30 g bean sprouts; 10 g scallion; 20 ml oil.
Steps: 1) Blanch pork dice; loosen pastes 2:1 with warm water. 2) Blanch vegetable shreds 10 seconds, sprouts 1 minute; ice and drain. 3) Fry pork 3 minutes, then pastes on lowest heat, stirring, 15 minutes until oil separates. 4) Boil noodles, ice water 30 seconds. 5) Assemble with 2 heaped tablespoons of sauce per bowl.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 老北京炸酱面 (data/reports/81.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Original poster image: clouchef.com (老北京炸酱面_81.jpeg). Serving size for home use (2), the dried-noodle timing, the radish substitute and the minced-pork option are adaptations and are labelled as such.