Chinese Regional Noodles
Cooking Skills: Noodles 2
Chapter 5 · Chinese Regional Noodles
Skill goal
Cook four Chinese noodle dishes built on sauces, layering numbing, hot, savoury and sour flavours.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
China has many noodle traditions. This chapter cooks four from different regions: Sichuan's numbing and hot flavours, the north's fried bean sauces, a simple home-style dish and a dry-spiced wok noodle from the north-west. Each one rests on a sauce, not a broth.
The flavour vocabulary
| Ingredient | What it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sichuan pepper | Dried berries that make the mouth tingle | Toast and grind; numbing, not hot |
| Doubanjiang | Fermented chilli and broad bean paste | Fry it in oil first; contains soy and often wheat |
| Sweet bean sauce | Sweet, salty fermented wheat paste | Hoisin and miso is a labelled substitute |
| Chinese black vinegar | Dark, mellow, malty vinegar | Balsamic is a labelled substitute |
| Chilli oil | Oil infused with chilli flakes | Use the sediment too |
The method
- Build the sauce in the bowl for dan dan noodles, so the hot noodles and a little of their water make it glossy.
- Fry pastes in oil until fragrant and dark. Raw paste tastes harsh.
- Match the noodle to the dish: thin for thin sauces, wide and chewy for dry spiced stir-fries.
- Add heat in layers: chilli oil, dried chilli and Sichuan pepper each do a different job.
Chilli, raw meat, hot oil and allergens
Chilli and Sichuan pepper: chillies burn skin and eyes, so wash your hands after handling them or wear gloves, and don't touch your face. Sichuan pepper makes the mouth tingle and go numb: that is normal, but use a little at a time. Dried chilli fumes in a hot pan can make you cough, so open a window.Raw pork, beef and lamb mince: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw meat, and cook mince and pork until steaming hot with no pink and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Thin slices of lamb are cooked through here, not left rare.
Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables and noodles well, because water on hot oil spits.
Allergens and labels: doubanjiang (chilli bean paste) and sweet bean sauce are fermented and usually contain soy and often wheat; soy sauce contains soy and wheat; sesame paste and sesame oil are sesame; peanuts and peanut butter are common allergens; noodles contain wheat and sometimes egg. Check labels.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Dan dan noodles
A street food of Sichuan: noodles with a spicy, nutty, tangy sauce and crumbled pork. The sauce is mixed in the bottom of the bowl, then the hot noodles are tossed through it. Taste the sauce before the noodles go in.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 200 g thin wheat noodles
- 150 g pork mince
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp doubanjiang (chilli bean paste; optional, for extra depth)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar as a labelled substitute)
- 1 tbsp sesame paste or smooth peanut butter
- 2 tbsp chilli oil, with its sediment
- ½ tsp Sichuan pepper, toasted and ground
- 1 tsp sugar
- 100 g greens (pak choi or spinach)
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- In each bowl mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame paste, chilli oil, ground Sichuan pepper, sugar and half the garlic. Add 3 tbsp of the noodle water later to loosen it.
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the pork for 5 to 6 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through with no pink. Add the rest of the garlic and the doubanjiang and fry for 1 minute.
- Cook the noodles as the pack says, adding the greens for the last minute. Drain, keeping a cup of the water.
- Put the noodles on the sauce, add 3 tbsp of the water, toss until every strand is coated, then top with the pork and spring onions. Taste and add more vinegar or chilli oil.
Chilli, raw pork, hot oil and allergens
Chilli and Sichuan pepper: chillies burn skin and eyes, so wash your hands after handling them or wear gloves, and don't touch your face. Sichuan pepper makes the mouth tingle and go numb: that is normal, but use a little at a time. Dried chilli fumes in a hot pan can make you cough, so open a window.Raw pork, beef and lamb mince: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw meat, and cook mince and pork until steaming hot with no pink and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Thin slices of lamb are cooked through here, not left rare.
Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables and noodles well, because water on hot oil spits.
Allergens and labels: doubanjiang (chilli bean paste) and sweet bean sauce are fermented and usually contain soy and often wheat; soy sauce contains soy and wheat; sesame paste and sesame oil are sesame; peanuts and peanut butter are common allergens; noodles contain wheat and sometimes egg. Check labels.
Level 2 · Fried sauce
Zhajiangmian (fried sauce noodles)
A northern Chinese classic: noodles topped with a thick, salty-sweet fried meat and bean sauce, with fresh cucumber and carrot on top. The sauce keeps and tastes better the next day. Fry it patiently: the paste should lose its raw smell.
Ingredients (3 portions)
- 300 g wheat noodles
- 200 g pork mince
- 3 tbsp sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce (a labelled substitute: hoisin with 1 tsp miso)
- 1 tbsp doubanjiang (optional)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 120 ml water
- ½ cucumber, in matchsticks
- 1 carrot, in matchsticks
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then add the pork and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through with no pink.
- Add the bean sauce and doubanjiang and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until dark and fragrant. Add the soy sauce, sugar and water.
- Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and glossy and the oil rises to the top.
- Cook the noodles and drain. Put them in bowls, spoon over the sauce and top with cucumber, carrot and spring onions. Toss before eating.
Raw pork, hot oil, hot sauce and allergens
Raw pork, beef and lamb mince: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw meat, and cook mince and pork until steaming hot with no pink and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Thin slices of lamb are cooked through here, not left rare.Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables and noodles well, because water on hot oil spits.
Hot soup: a ladle of boiling broth causes a serious scald. Keep pan handles turned in, ladle into bowls on a stable surface away from the edge, carry bowls with both hands and let children's bowls cool first. Noodles hold heat, so blow on them before eating.
Allergens and labels: doubanjiang (chilli bean paste) and sweet bean sauce are fermented and usually contain soy and often wheat; soy sauce contains soy and wheat; sesame paste and sesame oil are sesame; peanuts and peanut butter are common allergens; noodles contain wheat and sometimes egg. Check labels.
Substitutes: Chinese black vinegar, Sichuan preserved vegetable and sweet bean sauce can be hard to find. Balsamic vinegar and a little soy sauce can stand in for black vinegar, and hoisin sauce with a little miso can stand in for sweet bean sauce: they taste different, and I have labelled each swap in the recipe.
Level 2 · Home-style
Tomato and egg noodles
A very common home dish in China: soft scrambled egg in a sweet-sour tomato sauce over noodles. The eggs are cooked until set, not runny.
Ingredients (3 portions)
- 250 g wheat or egg noodles
- 4 Lion-marked eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 4 ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges (or 400 g tin of tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup or tomato puree
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 150 ml water
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a pan and cook the beaten eggs for about 1 minute, stirring gently, until just set in large curds. Take out.
- Add the remaining oil and fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, ketchup, sugar, soy sauce and water and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes collapse into a sauce.
- Return the eggs and stir through for 1 minute, until the eggs are firm all the way through. Taste and adjust the sugar and soy sauce.
- Cook the noodles, drain, and put in bowls. Spoon the tomato and egg over and top with spring onion.
Eggs, hot sauce and allergens
Eggs: use eggs with the British Lion mark and wash your hands after handling raw egg. Cook eggs until solid if you are unsure about runny eggs for you or your guests: the Food Standards Agency's advice on runny eggs differs for some groups, so check the current guidance at food.gov.uk.Hot soup: a ladle of boiling broth causes a serious scald. Keep pan handles turned in, ladle into bowls on a stable surface away from the edge, carry bowls with both hands and let children's bowls cool first. Noodles hold heat, so blow on them before eating.
Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free.
Level 3 · Wok
Cumin lamb noodles
A dry, smoky, spicy stir-fry from north-west China. Toast the cumin first, slice the lamb thinly so it cooks fast, and fry in two batches so it browns rather than steams. See Cooking Skills: Noodles 1, chapter 2 for the stir-fry order of work.
Ingredients (3 portions)
- 300 g wide wheat noodles
- 250 g lamb leg or shoulder, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tsp Sichuan pepper, toasted and ground
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic as a labelled substitute)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 handful coriander
- Toast the cumin and Sichuan pepper in a dry pan for 1 minute and grind. Mix with the chilli flakes and half the soy sauce and toss the lamb in this for 15 minutes.
- Cook the noodles, drain and toss with a drop of oil.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok or large pan until very hot. Fry the lamb in two batches for 2 to 3 minutes each, until browned and cooked through. Take out.
- Add the rest of the oil and stir-fry the onion, garlic and pepper for 2 minutes. Return the lamb, add the noodles, the rest of the soy sauce, the vinegar and the sugar, and toss for 2 minutes. Scatter with coriander.
Raw lamb, hot wok, spices and chilli
Raw pork, beef and lamb mince: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw meat, and cook mince and pork until steaming hot with no pink and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Thin slices of lamb are cooked through here, not left rare.Toasting spices: whole cumin and Sichuan pepper burn in seconds. Toast in a dry pan over a medium heat for about 1 minute, shaking, and tip out as soon as they smell warm.
Chilli and Sichuan pepper: chillies burn skin and eyes, so wash your hands after handling them or wear gloves, and don't touch your face. Sichuan pepper makes the mouth tingle and go numb: that is normal, but use a little at a time. Dried chilli fumes in a hot pan can make you cough, so open a window.
Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables and noodles well, because water on hot oil spits.
Substitutes: Chinese black vinegar, Sichuan preserved vegetable and sweet bean sauce can be hard to find. Balsamic vinegar and a little soy sauce can stand in for black vinegar, and hoisin sauce with a little miso can stand in for sweet bean sauce: they taste different, and I have labelled each swap in the recipe.
Experiments
Experiment
Sichuan pepper toasted or not
Tingle and aroma.
- Mix a pinch of untoasted ground Sichuan pepper and a pinch of toasted into two spoons of chilli oil. Taste each on a noodle.
Look for: The toasted pepper smells floral and citrusy and numbs more strongly; the untoasted one tastes dull and a bit grassy.
Experiment
Sauce thickness
Loose or thick.
- Toss dan dan noodles with no noodle water, 3 tbsp of it and 6 tbsp of it. Compare.
Look for: No water leaves the sauce clumpy and heavy. A little makes it glossy and clinging. Too much washes it out. Note the right amount.
Experiment
Noodle width
Thin or wide.
- Serve zhajiangmian sauce on thin noodles and on wide noodles.
Look for: Wide noodles carry the thick sauce better and stay chewy. Thin noodles disappear under it. The sauce decides the noodle.
Experiment
Heat level
Chilli oil, a little at a time.
- Make a bowl of dan dan noodles with 1, 2 and 3 tbsp of chilli oil.
Look for: The heat builds quickly and keeps building as you eat. Find the amount that is hot but still lets you taste the vinegar and sesame.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan dan noodles | ||||
| Zhajiangmian | ||||
| Tomato and egg noodles | ||||
| Cumin lamb noodles | ||||
| Sichuan pepper | ||||
| Sauce thickness | ||||
| Noodle width | ||||
| Heat level |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sauce clumpy | No noodle water | Add a few spoonfuls of the cooking water and toss |
| Too hot | Too much chilli oil | Add vinegar, sugar and more noodles; use less next time |
| Bitter fried sauce | Paste burnt | Fry on a medium heat and stir; add a splash of water |
| Tomato sauce thin or sour | Not simmered, or under-ripe tomatoes | Simmer longer; add sugar a pinch at a time |
| Grey, stewed lamb | Crowded pan | Fry in batches in a very hot pan |
| Numb and bitter | Too much Sichuan pepper, or burnt | Use half a teaspoon; toast gently |
Chilli, raw meat, eggs, hot oil and allergens
Chilli and Sichuan pepper: chillies burn skin and eyes, so wash your hands after handling them or wear gloves, and don't touch your face. Sichuan pepper makes the mouth tingle and go numb: that is normal, but use a little at a time. Dried chilli fumes in a hot pan can make you cough, so open a window.Raw pork, beef and lamb mince: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw meat, and cook mince and pork until steaming hot with no pink and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Thin slices of lamb are cooked through here, not left rare.
Eggs: use eggs with the British Lion mark and wash your hands after handling raw egg. Cook eggs until solid if you are unsure about runny eggs for you or your guests: the Food Standards Agency's advice on runny eggs differs for some groups, so check the current guidance at food.gov.uk.
Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables and noodles well, because water on hot oil spits.
Allergens and labels: doubanjiang (chilli bean paste) and sweet bean sauce are fermented and usually contain soy and often wheat; soy sauce contains soy and wheat; sesame paste and sesame oil are sesame; peanuts and peanut butter are common allergens; noodles contain wheat and sometimes egg. Check labels.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can build a sauce in the bowl and toss noodles through it.
- I can fry a bean paste until dark and fragrant.
- I can toast and grind Sichuan pepper and cumin.
- I can cook minced and sliced meat through with no pink.
- I check labels for soy, wheat, sesame and peanuts.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Noodles 2, chapter 6 is Thai and South-East Asian Noodles: pastes, wok heat and sweet-salty-sour balance.