Name: Chongqing Noodles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 serving fresh noodles ( , you can use thin dried noodles instead); handful Chinese water spinach or Bok Choy; 2 garlic cloves ( , peeled and minced); 1 green onion ( , white part and green part separated); 1 teaspoon minced ginger; 1 tablespoon smashed peanuts; 1 tablespoon minced coriander; 1 tablespoon minced Zha Cai ( , optional); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; pinch of salt if necessary; 1/4 teaspoon gourmet powder; 2 teaspoons lard; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1/4 teaspoon black vinegar; 1 to 2 tablespoons Chinese red oil; 1/8 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder (to strong the numbing tastes, optional)

Savory Chongqing noodle is called XiaoMian in Chinese, is a popular spicy and numbing noodle originated from Chongqing and popular in the whole country.

My hometown Chongqing is one of the four direct-controlled municipalities of China, locates in southwest area. Hot pot is the first label of Chongqing. However a new trend is the plain Chongqing noodles(xiaomian 小面). Xiaomian refers to a group of plain noodles seasoned with vinegar, sugar, red oil, ginger and scallion. Sometimes the noodle may topped with braised beef(牛肉小面), braised beans, braised pig's large intestines, fried meat sauce (炸酱面).

Nooldes in northen China emphasis on the soup base and the quality of noodles, while Chongqing noodles requires more on seasonings. People in Chongqing love xiaomian in the morning as same as they love hot pot when the sun goes down. Now, you may be charged only 5 RMB to 8 RMB for a morning Xiaomian in Chonqing. In Shenzhen, there are also chain restaurants selling authentic Chongqing noodles with a much higher price around 25 RMB. An interesting thing is that Chongqing people even list a top 50 Chongqing noodles ranking.

It is not hard to reproduce the charming Chongqing noodles at home, but there are several extremely important popular Chinese seasonings you will need to prepare for a successful Chongqing noodles.

Lard(猪[zhū]油[yóu]): lard has been the most popular eating oil for Chinese people with a quite long history. But recently, as most of us are facing over nutrition problem, lots of people choice to eat vegetable oil as daily cooking oil. However lard is extremely for a plain Chongqing noodles without stock soup base. You can directly use pork stock and skip lard. For vegan readers, use sesame oil to replace lard. However the noodle tastes slightly different without animal fat. Another option is to render lard at home.

Monosodium glutamate (味[wèi]精[jīng]): monosodium glutamate is a very popular seasoning in Sichuan cuisine. It is essentially used as a taste enhancer and is said to impart a sixth sense, known as savory (鲜(xiān)), in addition to the five basic tastes (sweet, spicy, bitter, sour and salty). You can use chicken powder to replace monosodium glutamate. Chicken powder(鸡(jī)精(jīng)): usage of chicken powder is very similar to monosodium glutamate. You will need to use one of the two at least or prepare both for the best result.

Thin alkaline noodle: Thin alkaline noodle is called as 水面(碱水面) in Chongqing and it is the top star in the noodle group. You can make some with alkaline powder or use round thin fresh noodles instead.

Szechuan style red oil is a combined red oil made with red pepper powder and lots of popular Chinese spices. Check Elaine's homemade Chinese chili oil if you love to make it at home. It should be a great gift idea for foodie friends.

Ingredients

1 serving fresh noodles (around 100g to 150g, you can use thin dried noodles instead)
handful Chinese water spinach or Bok Choy
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 green onion, white part and green part separated
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon smashed peanuts
1 tablespoon minced coriander
1 tablespoon minced Zha Cai (榨菜), optional
1 tablespoon soy sauce
pinch of salt if necessary
¼ teaspoon gourmet powder
2 teaspoons lard
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ teaspoon black vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons Chinese red oil
⅛ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder (to strong the numbing tastes, optional)

Instructions

In the serving bowl, add a small pinch of salt, vinegar, soy sauce, gourmet powder, minced green onion whites, minced garlic, minced ginger, chili oil, sesame oil and lard.

Cook noodles in boiling water according to the instructions on the package. Pour some noodle cooking soup into the serving bowl to tune the seasonings. And then transfer the noodles to serving bowl. Rinse the greens and transfer to serving bowl too.

Garnish peanuts, minced green onions, minced coriander and minced Zha cai. Add more chili oil if a stronger taste is wanted!

Serving immediately. It's best to finish the noodles within 10 minutes.