Zhacai Rousi Mian - A Classic Chinese Noodle Soup
When you shop in an Asian market, have you seen these small packages of pickles? Do you wonder what they are and how they taste? They are called zhacai and originated from Sichuan. They have a crunchy texture and a savory, distinctive taste. Most people just put it on white rice or congee; it adds lots of flavors and makes plain food delicious. Today, I will show you how to use it as an ingredient to cook.榨菜肉丝面- a classic breakfast dish, it is easy to make, super yummy, comforting, and gives you full-day energy.
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What is Zha Cai? How to Cook It?
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Ingredients
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- 300g / 10.6 oz pork loin
16.6g / 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 14g / 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 3.8g / 1.5 tsp cornstarch
- 0.6g / ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 13.6g / 1 tbsp cooking oil
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- 27.2g / 2 tbsp of cooking oil
- 4.5g / 1.5 Tsps finely minced ginger
- 13.5g / 1.5 Tbsps minced garlic
- 45g / 1 shallot, sliced thinly
- 24g / 1 red chili, julienned
- 170g / 6 oz of zha cai, julienned
- 1080g / 4.5 cups water
- 180g / 6 baby bok choy, quartered
- 8g / 4 cilantro leaves, diced
- 20g / 1 scallion, diced
Directions
When you buy zha cai in the Asian market, there will be spicy and non-spicy options. Both will work for this recipe. Be sure to choose according to your tolerance. If you are using these small packages, you will need 2 of them.
- You may also find this big zha cai stem. They are the same thing. It is just one is pre-Julienned, and one is whole. If you are using this big zhacai stem, you will need to slice it into thin slabs and then thinly julienne it. Set it aside.
- Cut the pork into 1/8-inch thick slabs and thinly julienne it into 1/8-inch thick strips. I am using pork loin, but pork shoulder or pork butt will also work.
- Marinade the pork with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine, 1.5 tsp cornstarch, and 0.6g / ¼ tsp ground white pepper and mix well.
- Coat the pork with 1 tbsp cooking oil, preventing the meat strips from tangling together and making it easier to stir fry later.
- Turn the heat to high and heat the wok until smoking hot. This is the trick to prevent food from sticking to the pan. Drizzle a generous amount of oil and swirl it around to create a non-stick layer.
- Add the pork and stir over high heat for 2 minutes or until the pork is changed color.
- Add minced ginger, garlic, shallot and stir until fragrant. Add the julienned zhacai, and red chili. Continue to stir over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in 4.5 cups of water. If you have stock, that will be even better. If not, water works just fine.
- Bring this to a boil. You don’t need to add any salt because zha cai is very salty already. However, every brand of zha cai has a different sodium level so you do need to taste the broth to adjust the flavor. Cover it with a lid and let it simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook 3 servings of noodles until al dente. Any noodles will work. I have tried vermerchilly, undon, pho, and egg noodles. Just use whatever you have on hand and follow the cooking instructions on the package.
- Add some baby bok choy and blanch for 15 seconds.
- Add the zha cai and the shredded pork, which has been simmering for 10 minutes now. Toss in some diced cilantro and scallion.
- To make a serving, add one portion of noodles to a big serving bowl. Place the bok choy on the side and pour the zhacai pork along with the broth into the serving bowl.
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