How does Tam Jai’s new HK$18 canned zhajiang meat topping compare to the fresh stuff?

Best known for its steaming bowls of noodle soup, Hong Kong restaurant chain Tam Jai Yunnan Mixian has launched a canned version of its zhajiang topping, a fermented bean and minced meat sauce.

Zhajiang is a popular topping at Tam Jai, which takes inspiration from Hong Kong’s pick-and-mix “cart noodle” shops. In operation since 1996, it has more than 240 locations, mostly in Hong Kong but also in mainland China, Singapore, Japan and Australia. It is well known for its Tam Jai jeh jehs, the waitresses who make up much of its workforce (jeh jeh means “older sister”, or auntie, in Cantonese).

Sometimes called Chinese or Beijing bolognese sauce, zhajiang is traditionally made with fermented bean sauce and sliced or minced meat, such as pork or beef. It is often eaten with noodles in a dish known as zhajiangmian, which is said to have originated in mainland China’s Shandong province.

Zhajiang translates as “deep-fried sauce” in Mandarin. It comes from the cooking process where, after a period of frying, the oil separates from the solid ingredients and floats to the top, giving the illusion that the sauce is being deep-fried.

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Hong Kong noodle chain Tam Jai just released a canned version of its popular ‘zha jiang’ sauce, but

Hong Kong versions of zhajiang sauce typically have added sugar and taste sweeter than their mainland counterparts.

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