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Yangchun mian
Noodles with spring onion oil
Yangchun mian: thin noodles in a clear soy broth with spring onion oil, Shanghai's plainest bowl
Yangchun mian is the bare-bones noodle bowl of Shanghai and the towns of Jiangsu, slurped late at night or as a cheap supper when nothing else is in the house: thin wheat noodles in a clear, soy-seasoned broth, glossed with spring onion oil and a few greens. Street stalls traditionally melt a spoon of lard into the bowl; this version uses a quickly made spring onion oil and vegetable stock so it stays vegetarian. The common mistake is cooking the noodles in the broth itself, which turns it cloudy and starchy; boil them separately in plenty of water. Chef's tip: put the soy and oil in the empty bowl first and pour the boiling stock onto them, so the soy blooms and the bowl smells like a Shanghai noodle shop.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz thin dried wheat noodlesegg-free
- 3 cups vegetable stockhot
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 spring onionswhites cut in 3 cm lengths, greens finely sliced
- 2 ⅞ oz pak choi or spinach leaves
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Boil a kettle and pour it into a large pan over a high heat for the noodles. Heat 3 cups vegetable stock in a second pan until it simmers.
2 minStep 2: Warm 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium heat and fry the white lengths of 3 spring onions until they shrivel and turn golden, about 2 minutes. Lift them out; the oil is now scented.
2 minStep 3: Divide 2 tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp dark soy sauce, ¼ tsp ground white pepper and the spring onion oil between two deep bowls.
Step 4: Cook 5 ½ oz thin dried wheat noodles in the boiling water for the time on the packet, usually 2–3 minutes, adding 2 ⅞ oz pak choi or spinach leaves for the last 30 seconds. They are done when a strand is tender with no white core.
3 minStep 5: Pour the simmering stock into the bowls so it swirls with the soy. Lift the noodles and greens in with chopsticks, scatter over the sliced green 3 spring onions and eat at once, before the noodles soften.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does yangchun mian take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 4 minutes to prepare and 6 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of vegetable stock?
- Chicken stock, same amount (not vegetarian).
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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