Also called “Little Noodles”, this Chinese streetfood is my latest obsession and currently I cook it on a weekly basis. It is savoury, spicy, sweet and most importantly, comfort food at its finest.
How to make the base
At the heart of this dish is an insanely flavourful sauce base, which is made in a couple of minutes by simply combining:
- Soy sauce: provides saltiness and umami
- Chilli Oil: Richness and spice
- Sichuan pepper corns: Numbing taste and popular in the Chinese cuisine
- Rice Vinegar: for sourness
- Sugar: balances the flavours
- Sliced scallion, minced garlic and ginger: there is no Chinese dish without the trinity
Many recipes also include sesame paste, so feel free to add them as well. If you like your dish to be more like a noodle soup, then add some vegetable broth to the base.
Toppings
Simply, cook your noodles, add them and you already have quite a powerful dish, but what takes the dish to another level are the toppings, which may include:
- Pak choi: Blanch them while cooking the noodles
- Preserved mustard vegetables: They provide a sourness that cuts through the flavours so try to find them at your local grocery store
- Yellow Beans: A traditional vegetarian version adds these to the bowl. You can substitute them for some chickpeas
Many traditional versions add sautéed minced meat, so naturally, you can use a vegan version and season it with dobanjang and soy sauce.
The Recipe
Xiao Mian
Zutaten
Kochutensilien
Method
- Slice the scallion, separating the green from the white parts and finely mince the garlic and ginger. If using whole pepper corns, toast them in a pan on low heat for 2-3 minutes before grinding them to a powder.
- Add all ingredients (except green parts of scallion) to a bowl and mix.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, cook your noodles according to package instruction and blanch the pak choi for 1-2 minutes in the same pot.
- Add cooked noodles, pak choi and toppings to the bowl
Notizen
- Fry in a pan and season with soy sauce and Dobanjang
