Wokipedia Holiday Special: Nice Noodle Guide #5
Ropes fray. Cables melt. Hair turns white and falls out. It’s tragic, but all long, worm-like things come to an end. Especially earth worms – they live for barely six months. Nice Noodle Guides, fun as they are, are not exempt from this absolute. Next week, normal blogging services resume, and this daily column will be but a long, twirly memory. Until then, feast on the final pair of noodles in our spread of ten. Today's Wokipedia takes a look at two lesser known dishes in Beijing, courtesy of Hubei and Jiangxi.
Hubei (湖北)
Hot dry noodles (regan mian, 热干面)
Native to the capital Wuhan, this gut-busting breakfast staple is a deceptively simple snack. Firm noodles are topped with a stiff sauce of sesame paste, soy, pickled vegetables, chopped chives, crushed peanuts, sugar and chilli oil.
The noodle Cooked, wheat-based noodles should have an al dente firmness, and be free of moisture before being mixed together with the sauce.
The local “The tip is not making the sauce too watery otherwise it won’t coat the noodles enough. And don’t make the portion too big, because it’s really filling.” Guo Kun (Sales executive)
The restaurant An unlikely but delicious spot is Chuansao Ma La Tang at no. 2 Damao Hutong off Xinjiekou Nandajie. The delightfully spicy regan mian here (pictured) is enhanced with lots of fresh julienned veggies and the addition of salted-dried daikon radish.
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Jiangxi (江西)
Stir-fried rice noodles with beef entrails (niuza chaomifen 牛杂炒米粉)
Delicious noodles stir-fried with seasonal greens, dried salted vegetables, fiery dried chillis, beef liver and generous amounts of oil. Rich, strong and exceedingly flavor-packed.
The noodle Rice noodles of medium thickness, essentially the same used in Guilin mifen.
The local "Jiangxi food is strong and spicy. I miss it when I am in Beijing as it is not as popular or famous as other Chinese cuisines." Xin Zhang (bartender)
The restaurant Seek out the tiny but welcoming Gan fen Xiao Fang (赣粉小坊) at no. 26 Baochao Hutong off Gulou Dongdajie. Run by a very friendly old Jiangxi couple.
