We have been getting a lot of new variations from the people here and I have tried all of them, never mind if it is red, yellow or green.
This one…
…is the latest to hit the shelves but no, I did not buy it – I’ve had zhajiang mian before outside and it did not get me running back for more. That was why when I saw it on the shelves in the shops, I did not bat an eyelid. However, my missus came home one day with a pack and wasted no time in giving it a try.
Zhajiangmian (炸酱面) or Old Beijing noodles with fried bean originated from the Shandong province and is an iconic Northern Chinese dish. Zhajiang sauce is normally made by simmering stir-fried ground pork or beef with salty fermented soybean paste. However, the sauce may vary from province to province and between countries.
I had this one…
…here and it sure did not look anything like the real thing. No, I was not impressed so I never went back for more.
This…
…if I remember correctly, was the first time I had zhajiang mian and though it looked a lot more like what it should look like, it did not get me all excited at all.
In the case of this instant one, the bean paste came in one of the three sachets in the pack, along with the seasoning (powder) and the oil. After my missus had tried it, I asked her for her verdict and she did not seem to like it very much. She said she just had it once and the rest of the time, she had the noodles with her own kampua mee ingredients – she liked it better that way.
Well, that morning, I saw there was just one pack left so it was now or never! I had to grab that last one to try otherwise I am quite sure my missus would not be buying anymore and I would never get the chance to try it at all. I did not have any of the ingredients to make my version look anything like the real thing so this was what it…
…looked like in the end.
I cooked the noodles, emptied all the contents in the sachets into a plate and once cooked, I drained the noodles thoroughly before throwing it into the plate and tossing it well with the ingredients. I fried an egg to go with it and there was one gourmet sausage in the freezer, black pepper, so I sliced it thinly and fried the slices on a non-stick pan till nicely done and served them by the side. I garnished the noodles with a sprinkling of chopped spring onion from my garden and sat down to taste the fruit of my labour…
No, it certainly did not sweep me off my feet. The bean paste tasted like those black beans that they use to steam with pork ribs at those dim sum places and some may use them for cooking the sauce for fish. I can’t say I liked it much – it sure is a taste that may need a little getting used to.
I guess it is the same as the ones I had outside – I may not be all that thrilled by them but there may be people who like them and may go back for more.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
You don’t like bean paste? I like those pork ribs steamed with bean paste at the dim sum place but when it comes to instant noodles I doubt I like it or not. The 1st pic looks like our Kuching kolo mee and your bowl of noodles looks quite appealing too.
I quite enjoy those black beans, loved them in the canned fried dace, so good with porridge (but they say cannot eat, those from China) but when in paste-form like this and tossed with the noodles, I guess it needs a bit of getting used to.
We are too used to our own unique Malaysian flavours. Somehow we are not used to other cuisine. When I were in China, I felt their dishes either too bland. Or some cases, spicy. Bought few cup noodles in Shanghai to taste. The beef and chicken flavour. Not to my liking.
Yes, a lot of people who went complained about the food, not nice. Brought Maggi mee from here, cook and eat in hotel room. No place like home, simply the best!
I never used bean paste before for noodles, I always use them to braise pork ribs and add in radish… come to think of it, I must go and buy some ribs tomorrow… my radish has been sitting in the fridge for few days already…
Black beans with pork ribs and radish? Hmmmm…that’s new to me. We just cook the ribs and the radish for soup, never added black beans.
I have eaten this zhajiang mian in a hawker centre and it was really wonderful.
Yours is by far the most appetizing one compared to the others.
Wonderful? Yet to come across one good one here, not that we have many. So far two, maybe I’ve seen another one some place else. Will go and try.
Same here. I find it’s taste so so only and quite bland and my boys agree with me too. Anyway, I am old school, I still love my kampua mee.
Me too! The kampua, black or white, are still the nicest. The spicy vinegar kampua and mee pok are good too. The red, green and yellow ones are like kampua – only the colour is different. This one, I did not enjoy the bean paste tossed with the noodles, not used to the taste.
Zhajiang mian must be the originator of the Korean jajangmyeon. I’m afraid when I tried jajangmyeon twice (just to confirm the taste), I found that I disliked it both times. So no more for me.
Yes, that was what my cousin in Kuching commented on my post on Facebook and now she wants to go out and buy. One of those lah, loves anything and everything Korean! LOL!!!
I would do the same as your wife – waste no time in trying something new.
I’d probably wait a bit to see the reviews on social media first.