Recipe: Beijing bolognese

Serves 1

Ingredients
1 Tbsp ground bean sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon green onion, sliced, whites and greens separated
½ tsp finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
150 g ground pork OR 150 g medium tofu cut into 1 cm dice
¼ tsp five spice powder
10ml Shaoxing wine or sherry
150 g fresh thin Chinese wheat noodles
2 Tbsp julienned cucumber

Method
In a liquid measuring cup, combine ¼ cup water with the ground bean sauce and hoisin. Mix well and set aside.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.

To make the ragu, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil until just barely smoking. Add the ground pork (or tofu) and turn the heat to high. While the meat sautés, add five-spice powder. Add the white parts of the green onion and the ginger. Season with salt.

Cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the pork, until the pork has nearly turned brown or the tofu is nicely browned. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally.

When the liquid has reduced by about half, add the water and sauce mixture and turn the heat down to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches the consistency of loose gravy. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions until just al dente, stirring with long chopsticks to prevent clumping. Drain and rinse well with hot water, then transfer to a warm serving bowl.

Top with the ragu on one side and garnish with green onions and cucumber. Toss well to combine and serve.