Many people like to eat snacks, and there are countless snacks in Beijing as the capital of China. Lao Beijing braised soybean noodles are one of the famous snacks. Braised soybean noodles are delicious and easy to digest, so they are liked by people of all ages, and they also have the effect of enhancing resistance. If you can cook the noodles at home and then mix with the braised sauce, add various vegetables, it will become Lao Beijing braised soybean noodles. Don’t you think it’s beautiful? Below, let’s learn how to make braised soybean noodles, so you can have a delicious meal at home!

Ingredients for making

Noodles 500 grams, soybeans 50 grams, soybean sprouts 30 grams, pork belly 100 grams, fresh mushrooms 3 pieces, celery 50 grams, radish 30 grams, cucumber 30 grams, white radish 30 grams, toon 30 grams.

Sweet bean paste 1 bag, dry soybean paste 1 bag, pork mince half pound, mushrooms 2 bunches, scallions, ginger, garlic, cooking wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine.

Production process

Soak soybeans in clear water until they are plump, then blanch them in boiling water and remove them. Boil the soybean sprouts. Clean the pork belly and fresh mushrooms, and cut them into cubes about half a centimeter in size. Peel the radish, white radish, and cucumber, and slice them into strips. Wash the celery and Chinese toon, and cut them into small pieces.

Heat the oil in a wok, add scallion, ginger, and minced garlic, stir-fry until fragrant, add the diced pork belly over medium heat, and stir-fry until the lard is released. Add a little cooking wine to remove the smell and then some soy sauce, stir-fry well, and remove the meat cubes from the pan.

Keep the lard from frying the meat in the pot, mix the sweet flour sauce and dried yellow soybean paste in a bowl, pour it into the pot, and stir-fry over medium heat to release the sauce fragrance. Then add the diced pork belly, mushroom cubes, and finely chopped ginger, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce and meat cubes are well blended. This is when the sauce is ready to be served (keep stirring during this time; if it seems dry, add a little water). At this point, the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat, add finely chopped scallion whites (adding them too early will burn), and use the residual heat to simmer the scallion whites. The Zhajiang sauce is ready.

Boil the noodles in a separate pot. Place them together with the Zhajiang sauce and side dishes. Mix them together when eating.

Production process

Beat the eggs, add cornstarch (the eggs will be tender with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch), a little cooking wine (1 teaspoon to remove the egg smell), and salt. When the oil is hot, there’s a secret to frying eggs with chopsticks; they can be stirred well and each piece of egg will be heated evenly. Pour them into the pan, stir them quickly with chopsticks in the pot, and remove them when they turn yellow and are cooked for later use.

Add a little oil to the pan, heat it, and stir-fry the diced pork belly over medium heat until the lard comes out. Add a little cooking wine to remove the smell and then some soy sauce. Remove the meat cubes from the pan.

Keep the lard from frying the meat in the pot, mix the yellow soybean paste and flour sauce evenly in a bowl, and stir-fry the sauce over medium heat to make it fragrant.

When the sauce has a fragrant smell, add minced meat or egg cubes, finely chopped ginger, and turn the heat to low, slowly simmering until the sauce and meat cubes are well blended. There’s no need to add salt or sugar as the sauce has its own taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it; don’t stir too much. If it seems dry, add a little water.

Now you can prepare the side dishes. Buying a vegetable grater is convenient. I can’t slice thin loofah, cucumber, or radish into shreds, so I soak them in cold water after grating, then drain them, making the vegetables crisp. You can also add lettuce or cabbage shreds for a Western touch.

Blanch the mung bean sprouts, flat beans (sliced), soybeans, and green beans in boiling water until they are cooked but still firm, then soak them in cold water.

When the sauce has bubbled and looks dry, remove it from the heat and add finely chopped scallion whites. If you add the scallion too early, it will burn. Use the residual heat to simmer the scallion whites. The sauce is ready.

Next comes the noodles. Handmade noodles are of course the best for Zhajiangmian, but I guess most people don’t have the energy for that. Store-bought hand-pulled noodles, the coarse ones, are particularly tasty, coated with a yellow corn flour. For those who are a bit particular, frozen noodles are also a good choice.

The water for boiling noodles should be abundant, with some salt added to prevent the noodles from sticking together when cooked. Don’t overcook the noodles; three water changes should be sufficient. A little bit of rawness and a bite are the best. Once the noodles are cooked, rinse them with cold water to remove the paste, making them slippery and delicious.