Northern · noodle
Zhajiangmian (Fried Sauce Noodles)
炸酱面 · Zhájiàng Miàn
Wheat noodles topped with a savoury minced-pork-and-fermented-soybean sauce. Beijing's iconic noodle dish.
Zhajiangmian is a thick wheat noodle dressed with a sauce of minced pork and fermented soybean paste (huangjiang or doubanjiang). The noodles are served with side dishes of julienned cucumber, blanched bean sprouts, soybeans, radish, garlic. Mix everything together at the table.
Where to try
Beijing: any noodle shop, particularly the Old Beijing Noodle Shop chain.
Dietary notes
Wheat (gluten), pork, soy.
Cities to try Zhajiangmian (Fried Sauce Noodles)
Other north dishes
- Beijing Lamb Hot Pot涮羊肉
Beijing-Mongolian style hot pot — clear broth, thinly-sliced lamb, sesame-paste dipping sauce.
- Boiled Dumplings (Shuijiao)水饺
Wheat-wrapper dumplings filled with pork-and-cabbage, lamb-and-leek, or vegetable, boiled and served with vinegar.
- Cat's Ear Noodles猫耳朵
Small thumbnail-pinched Shanxi pasta, shaped like cat's ears. Stir-fried with vegetables or in soup.
- Goubuli Baozi狗不理包子
Tianjin's signature steamed pork buns. The original house, founded 1858, is still operating.