Comments on: Zha Jiang Mian (Fried Sauce Noodles, 炸酱面)

By: Wei Guo

Wei Guo — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:06:19 +0000

In reply to Razia. You can slightly increase the oil to make up for the lack of fat from the pork. Use a neutral vegetable oil for cooking. If you’d like to add sesame oil, it’s best to drizzle a little at the end when assembling the dish, rather than cooking with it.

By: Wei Guo

Wei Guo — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:04:08 +0000

In reply to Annie. Thank you so much for trying my recipes, Annie! Haday/海天 and CBL/葱伴侣 are good options for yellow bean paste.

By: Annie

Annie — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:49:39 +0000

Hi I really love your recipe. So aromatic and fragrant 5/5 – What is the brand of yellow bean paste that you use?

By: Razia

Razia — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:27:37 +0000

Hi Wei,
This recipe looks fabulous! I bought (almost) all of the ingredients today but have a question. I’ll be making the vegan version, should I use more oil to make up for the lack of fat from the pork? If so, vegetable pil or sesame oil? Some recipes suggest doing that which made me curious. Thanks in advance 🙂

By: Wei Guo

Wei Guo — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 18:21:58 +0000

In reply to Tom Adams. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Tom! I’m so glad the substitutions worked well and that you still enjoyed the dish. Hope you enjoy it even more when you try it with the traditional sauces.

By: Tom Adams

Tom Adams — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 01:19:42 +0000

I made this recipe on the spur of the moment so I made many substitutions with ingredients I had on hand. As suggested by Wei, I substituted Doubanjan for the Yellow Bean paste and Hoisin Sauce for the Sweet Bean Paste and finally I substituted the Udon for the other recommended noodles. It was delicious!
The sauce was rich and flavorful and the and balnched veggies on the sides refreshing, crunchy and a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly sauce.
It is easy to make if you have the ingredients on hand and the substitutions were great if you don’t. I look forward to getting the other sauces some day and making it “authentically”. Try it!

By: Wei Guo

Wei Guo — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:14:55 +0000

In reply to Bernice. I'm not 100% sure what 'preserved soybean paste' and 'salted soybean paste' refer to. They could be similar things and fine to use as substitutes, but the quantity required may vary since each sauce has a different level of saltiness.

By: Wei Guo

Wei Guo — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 07:59:53 +0000

In reply to Susan Chee. Thanks for sharing your cooking experience and recipe twists. Knife cut fresh noodles are the best choice for this recipe. The combination of Doubanjiang and hoisin sauce makes a great alternative.

By: Bernice

Bernice — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 02:15:57 +0000

Hi! I have yet to try out this recipe but am wondering if preserved soy bean paste or salted soya bean paste works the same? Thanks in advance!

By: Susan Chee

Susan Chee — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 11:39:53 +0000

This is a delicious bowl of noodles! I used Korean knife cut fresh noodles which had a smooth, slippery texture but was a little chewy too which made the dish interesting. I substituted and used doubanjiang and hoisin sauces which gave the noodles great flavour. Will definitely cook this again as it is the family’s new favourite dish.