Zha Jiang Mian Chinese Spaghetti

I saw chef Ming Tsai make this on food t.v. (childhood favorites) and I knew I had to give it a go.  My only decision was to use ground pork or "Beyond Beef" meat substitute like he did.  In the end I had a pound of organic ground pork in my freezer so I used it.  Plus a pound of "Beyond Meat" costs almost $11 here!  I wasn't expecting to find fermented beans at my regular grocery store, but I did!  What I used:

• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic (I used half a head)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped organic fresh ginger 
• 1 heaping tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed, drained and gently smashed by hand 
• 1 red onion, finely diced 
• 2/3 cup hoisin sauce (YIKES!  SODIUM BOMB so I used no extra salt!)
• 2 cups organic "Better than Bouillon" low-sodium vegetable stock 
• 1/2 cup Shaoxing rice wine 
• 1 pound organic ground pork
• 1 pound fresh chow mein egg noodles
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned, for garnish 
• 2 carrots, julienned, for garnish 
• 2 cups bean sprouts, for garnish
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Heat a large high-sided sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic, ginger, beans and onion and sauté, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. 

Add the hoisin sauce and cook, stirring, to remove any raw taste, about 2 minutes.

Add the stock and wine and bring to a boil.  Add the pork and reduce the heat to low. 

Simmer until the mixture has a sauce-like consistency, stirring occasionally, 30 to 45 minutes. Season with pepper.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until al dente, follow package directions. Drain well and divide among serving bowls. Ladle on the sauce, then top with the cucumbers, carrots, cilantro and sprouts and serve.  

He stressed you're supposed to mix this in the bowl when served, but I mixed it all in the wok pan instead.  It was just easier that way for me.  

I could see why a kid would like this dish, without the garnishes.  For us, the garnishes really made this complete.  They were bright, fresh and crisp on top of the noodles.  The hoisin sauce was sweet so it would appeal to kids. We liked it.  Found the dish comforting and especially enjoyed the ginger taste in it.  I doubt I'd make it again, but I'm really glad I tried it.