Chinese Noodles w/ Soybean Paste Recipe & Happy Mother's Day!

Wish everyone a very happy Mother's Day. Today, I want to share with you my mom's secret recipe, zha jiang mian. We're going to transfer in the soybean paste, sweet bean paste. Also add in the rice wine. The soybean paste that I'm using today is not too dry. If you're using the kind that is really dry, you can add more water or rice wine into the mixture. To make the sauce, in a pan over high heat, add in the pork belly. In the past, my mom has also used other types of protein, like chicken, tofu, or even just eggs, and they're all super delicious. Stir-fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes. I might be biased, but I think my mom is the best cook, and she cooks the best noodles in soybean paste. To me, it is the taste of home. Take out the pork belly and set aside. In the same pan with the remaining oil, over low heat, add in the onion, ginger, scallions, cilantro, and star anise. Cook until they are lightly browned, for about 5 minutes. Take out the aromatic, leave the oil in the pan. In the same pan, over medium heat, add in the sauce, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, and constantly stir. We're going to return the pork belly and let it cook for another 5 minutes, and also constantly stir. Turn off the heat and set aside. Now we're going to cut some toppings. Julienne the cucumber. Julienne the carrot. You can use any vegetables that you like, but for my mom, she usually uses cucumber, carrots, and bean sprouts. So talking about bean sprouts, to blanch it in a pot of water, bring it to a boil. Blanch the bean sprouts for about 20 seconds. And we're going to cook the noodles until al dente, for about 5 minutes. Noodles in soybean paste is a very popular dish in China. Every household cooks it a little differently, and this is how my mom cooks it. It brings back so many childhood memories. So I hope the noodles in soybean paste will also bring you and your family lots of joy and happiness this Mother's Day.