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    Home » Recipes » Pantry

    Chongqing Noodles

    Last Modified: October 8, 2018 by Elaine| 41 Comments

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

    Chongqing noodles (mala noodles)

    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).

    Chongqing noodles (mala noodles)

    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.

    Chongqing noodles--home rendered lard

    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.

    Chongqing noodles-Chinese gourment powder

    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.

    Chongqing noodles-thin alkaline noodle
    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.

    Chongqing noodles-tune the seasonings

    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.

    Chongqing noodles-cooking the noodles

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

    Chongqing noodles-cooking the noodles

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

    Chongqing noodles (mala noodles)

    Chongqing Noodles

    Elaine
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Breakfast, staple
    Cuisine Sichuan cuisine
    Servings 2
    Calories 673 kcal

    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
    • 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 Za cai. Add more chili oil if a stronger taste is wanted!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 673kcalCarbohydrates: 83gProtein: 16gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 3068mgPotassium: 363mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1415IUVitamin C: 15.5mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 5.6mg
    Keyword noodles
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood

    Chongqing noodles (mala noodles)

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. roland

      January 17, 2018 at 5:00 am

      5 stars
      I left my heart in Chongqing 🙁
      Lived there for a few months, The food, The people, The girls indescribable!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        January 19, 2018 at 9:15 am

        You get the all the good points about Chongqing.

        Reply
    2. Mike

      March 25, 2018 at 10:25 am

      I lived in Chongqing with Mu family for 4 years. I love Chongqing noodles and the numbing pepper. Good food and nice friendly people.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        March 25, 2018 at 8:44 pm

        It should be your favorite breakfast for quite a long time.

        Reply
    3. Lu

      June 07, 2018 at 8:41 pm

      5 stars
      This is easily one of my favourite recipes on here - or maybe anywhere.

      It is such a satisfactory and yummy dish, yet easy, quick and cheap. And its very easy to "expand" it by adding other vegetables or meat. I am planning on making it tomorrow, maybe with some additional bean sprouts, thinly sliced radish and either ground, fried pork or sliced chicken breast on top.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 08, 2018 at 8:12 am

        We have lots of toppings to choose from in Chongqing. Pork and chicken seems quite yummy. Hope it turns out good for you.

        Reply
    4. Paul

      January 03, 2019 at 7:30 pm

      5 stars
      Can you post a link for a decent chilli oil. The one i bought is not bringing the heat for me 🙂 And much as i would like to cook it theres a bit too much involved for the amount i would use

      Reply
      • Elaine

        January 10, 2019 at 9:56 am

        Paul,
        If you want to make a customized hotter version of Chili oil, check this post. The hot level can be achieved by adjusting the ratio of different types of peppers.

        Reply
    5. Michael

      June 04, 2019 at 9:12 pm

      Hello,
      How much of the noodle water do you use? The pics make it look quite soupy?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 05, 2019 at 8:13 am

        I usually pour the noodle water to cover the noodles。

        Reply
    6. Caz

      January 21, 2020 at 3:42 pm

      Elaine, I really enjoy the fact that your recipes are authentic and as close as I can get to a REAL Chinese kitchen if I make it myself. Thank you for your wonderful posts. Happy cooking. Regards, Caz

      Reply
      • Elaine

        January 21, 2020 at 8:12 pm

        Thanks Caz,
        Keep the recipes authentic is my starting purpose. Happy cooking and best wishes for your family.

        Reply
    7. Sophie

      March 01, 2020 at 8:06 pm

      5 stars
      This is a delicious recipe, I will certainly make it again. It's so quick to prepare that the longest part really is to cook the noodles.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        March 02, 2020 at 9:07 am

        Thanks.

        Reply
    8. C

      April 14, 2020 at 9:53 am

      Why does the ingredients list mention Sichuan peppercorn powder but the recipe never mentions where to use it?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        April 18, 2020 at 3:55 pm

        Top at the end as garnishing.

        Reply
    9. Ratna

      July 06, 2020 at 8:12 pm

      Hi Elaine,
      I’m trying the above recipe this weekend. I would like to add protein to the dish namely beef slices. Do I need to marinate the beef slices & what is the marination like before adding to the final dish.

      Thank you.

      Reply
    10. Luke

      July 17, 2020 at 2:24 am

      5 stars
      I've been making this for about a year now. It's easily one of my favourite recipes of all time.
      As others have said, it's cheap, quick, beautiful, and tastes delicious.

      Thanks very much for this.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        July 17, 2020 at 11:18 am

        Thanks Luke for your lovely feedback.

        Reply
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