Za Jiang Mein (Beijing-Style Meat Sauce With Noodles)

This is a fast food or home meal in Beijing, and is quite popular in Korea as well. It's a thick wheat noodle topped with a savory pork sauce, which is a bit sweet and spicy. All this is garnished with a mound of shredded cucumber. You mix it all together and voila... a filling, tasty meal. It's Pucca, the Japanese cartoon character's favourite food as well. Many variations of this recipe exist -- Chinese people prefer it sweet, Koreans like it salty and with potatoes. Common additions/subsitutions for the pork are: beef, dried shrimp, eggs, shredded bean curd and eggplant.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1⁄4-1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil
• 1⁄2-3⁄4 lb ground pork (either lean or fatty)
• 5 -6  teaspoons  brown bean sauce
• 2 -3  teaspoons sugar
• 5 -6  teaspoons beer
• 1  lb  fresh white  chinese noodles (no egg)
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped scallion
• 1⁄4 cup bean sprouts
• 1⁄2 cup  shredded cucumber
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped garlic
•  chili, if desired

Directions

1. Heat the oil in the wok. When the oil is ready, add the garlic and then the pork. Fry briefly.
2. Blend the bean sauce with the beer.
3. Add the mixed sauce, sprinkle the sugar into the wok and cook, stir until the sauce is piping hot (about 10 mins).
4. Turn off the heat and start to boil the noodles, 1 min and remove.
5. Drain the noodles thoroughly and place into a bowl.
6. Spoon over the sauce. Garnish with the scallions, bean sprouts and cucumber shreds generously.