Chinese Noodle Joints

[liuzhou]

 

Everywhere around me are noodle places. When I go down town, I see even more. I find them interesting.

 

I am in the south of China where the preference is for rice noodles. In the north, wheat is more common. But that's not the only choice you have to make.

 

Here are a few noodle joints, all within ten minutes walk of my house. There are more (though some are still closed for the New Year holiday).

 

 

This one specialises in not specialising. They are all rice noodles though.

 

 

This one give more choice. You can have either rice noodles (粉 fěn) or wheat noodles (面 miàn), but again in a variety of styles

 

Beef Noodles

 

Lamb or Mutton Noodles

 

Guilin Rice Noodles

 

Mushroom Noodles

 

Donkey Noodles

 

Horse Noodles

 

Snail Noodles

 

Snail noodles is THE local dish. There are literally hundreds of shops selling this dish. More on this topic here.

 

More to come

 

Edited February 20, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[kbjesq]

I'll have a large order of mushroom noodles, to go please!  Thank you for sharing and I look forward to more Chinese noodling info, "from the horse's mouth"  (sorry, couldn't resist the bad pun).  PS I wonder how a computer translation would mishandle puns?  

[Deryn]

Is there a significant difference between horse and donkey noodles, taste and texture wise?  Does the second balk at being chewed or stubbornly resist tenderness?

 

I would love to know more about (and see pictures of) snail noodles. I love escargot ... are those buttery, garlicky and reminiscent of those? Or are these tinier snails, more akin to periwinkle size, and swimming in soy sauce?

 

I am eagerly awaiting more noodle facts and pics from the heart and soul of your fascinating area, luizhou.

 

And, by the way, did Pig Face make a New Year's debut yet?

[Lisa Shock]

Do you have a place near you that makes the sliced/shaved noodles?

[liuzhou]

On 20/02/2016 at 1:53 AM, Deryn said:

Is there a significant difference between horse and donkey noodles, taste and texture wise?  Does the second balk at being chewed or stubbornly resist tenderness?

 

I would love to know more about (and see pictures of) snail noodles. I love escargot ... are those buttery, garlicky and reminiscent of those? Or are these tinier snails, more akin to periwinkle size, and swimming in soy sauce?

 

I am eagerly awaiting more noodle facts and pics from the heart and soul of your fascinating area, luizhou.

 

And, by the way, did Pig Face make a New Year's debut yet?

 

Horse and donkey are similar in taste, but the donkey meat is more tender - melts in the mouth. It is, by a long shot,  my favourite.

 

The snail noodles dish, 螺蛳粉 luó sī fěn is rice noodles, chilli, dried tofu skin and pickled bamboo in a stock made by boiling snails and pig bones, stewed for ten hours with black cardamom, fennel seed, dried tangerine peel, cassia bark, cloves, pepper, bay leaf, licorice root, sand ginger, and star anise. The customer then adds coriander leaf, Chinese chives, more chilli etc to their particular taste.

There are not usually any actual snails served in the dish. The locals can't get enough of it, although many outsiders are put off by the strong scent of the bamboo. There is even a Facebook group page celebrating the dish.

 

Here is one version from my nearest shop.

 

 

And another

 

 

It is being unusually warm here right now, so Cameron Pig Face hasn't made her debut yet.

 

On 20/02/2016 at 3:15 AM, Lisa Shock said:

Do you have a place near you that makes the sliced/shaved noodles?

 

There was one very near that did 刀削 面 (dāo xuē miàn) or knife cut noodles, but the street in question has recently been pulled down for 'development'. They may have popped up elsewhere, but if so, I have yet to find them. There is, however, another shop slightly further away. Maybe 30 minutes walk. Worth it though.

Edited March 2, 2016 by liuzhou
some words went missing (log)

[Deryn]

What, may I ask, is so obnoxious about the scent of pickled bamboo? Are there unusual ingredients used in the pickling process?

[liuzhou]

12 hours ago, Deryn said:

What, may I ask, is so obnoxious about the scent of pickled bamboo? Are there unusual ingredients used in the pickling process?

 

I don't know the answer to that one. It doesn't smell in the least obnoxious to me. But I've heard it said, often. In fact the subject came up at the banquet I had the other night and none of us could understand it. The pickling process is pretty standard.

Edited February 21, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[kbjesq]

Hello @liuzhou,  I have a question. Is it hard to accommodate vegetarians or pescatarians in your part of China?  From your posts, it seems meat-centric. But perhaps I am misinterpreting. I'm seriously considering adding a side trip to your part of China when I visit Vietnam later this year 

But I do strongly prefer vegetarian food, when available 

Just curious to know if this will present a problem in my trip planning. Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of knowledge. 

[liuzhou]

8 hours ago, Deryn said:

love escargot ... are those buttery, garlicky and reminiscent of those? Or are these tinier snails, more akin to periwinkle size, and swimming in soy sauce?

 

Sorry, I forgot to answer this part of your question. The snails used are, I'd say, medium in size. They are river snails,, or rice paddy snails.Not buttery or garlicky, but equally delicious in another way. They are also often served in a chilli sauce.

 

Here are some being prepared in an old photo of a less than hygienic restaurant (long gone).

 

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, kbjesq said:

Hello @liuzhou,  I have a question. Is it hard to accommodate vegetarians or pescatarians in your part of China?  From your posts, it seems meat-centric. But perhaps I am misinterpreting. I'm seriously considering adding a side trip to your part of China when I visit Vietnam later this year 

But I do strongly prefer vegetarian food, when available 

Just curious to know if this will present a problem in my trip planning. Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of knowledge. 

 

I have written extensively on vegetarianism and veganism in this topic. Or there is a slightly revised version on my blog here.

[liuzhou]

12 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

Do you have a place near you that makes the sliced/shaved noodles?

 

Here is the one about half an hour away. It specialises in hand-pulled noodles and knife cut noodles. I preferred the other place, only because it had a more open kitchen and you got the theatre of watching them pulling the dough into strands and see them cut the knife cut noodles into the boiling water.

 

 

These noodles and techniques are from the north and west of China, whereas I am in the south, so there aren't so many of these places, but this one is popular.

Edited February 21, 2016 by liuzhou
typo (log)

[liuzhou]

 

Some more

 

This one is quite new and I've never been, but the picture shows the set-up in nearly all these noodle joints. There is a desk just inside the door on the left. Here you order and pay. You are then given a ticket which you present to the kitchen at the back. With a bit of luck, you will be given your noodles of choice, which you garnish to your satisfaction, then find a seat.The picture was taken in the mid-morning, after breakfast but before lunch. Hence the emptiness.

 

This is a very popular Guangzhou (Canton) style noodle emporium. Always busy. Not my favourite style of Chinese eating though.

 

This one has 老友分, or Old Friend's Noodles, a specialty of Nanning down the road. As with many Chinese dishes there is a story behind the name. In fact, there is usually a choice of different stories. But I’ve heard this story pretty consistently. It seems that some time ago there was a man who became sick and lost his appetite. His friends and doctors urged him to eat to keep up his strength to aid his recovery, but to no avail. Finally, one of his oldest friends, a chef, prepared him a bowl of noodles. As soon as he smelled the dish, he perked up, finished the lot and went on to make a full recovery. Or so they say.

 

This is one of the oldest noodle joints in town. It does many different preparations.

 

This is the most popular snail noodle place in the city centre. I took this picture at noon today. What you are seeing is the overspill from the restaurant. They only sell one dish.

 

Some places don't even have a restaurant as such. Real street food. I've eaten here - often. Delicious snail noodles.

 

Finally, for now, a couple of oddities.

 

This is a Japanese-style ramen shop. The owner is Chinese but lived in Japan for some time. Very friendly man. He usually gives me free beer when I visit. Again a popular place.

 

and

 

Tucked away in a side alley, making it difficult to photograph, is a Vietnam Rolled Noodle place. Also very good.
 

Edited February 21, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[kbjesq]

4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

I have written extensively on vegetarianism and veganism in this topic. Or there is a slightly revised version on my blog here.

As always, thank you for your kind and immensely generous help @liuzhou! 

[liuzhou]

At noon today, I came across this sign with an arrow pointing down a lane. It is interesting in that it is for a restaurant selling something I hadn't seen before.

 

 

From top to bottom it reads

 

猪脚粉  Pig's Foot Rice Noodles
牛腩粉  Beef Tenderloin Noodles
鸭肉粉  Duck Meat Noodles
云吞     Wontons
饺子     Jiaozi (Dumplings)

 

I don't recall seeing duck noodles before. I didn't investigate further as I'd just finished lunch - donkey noodles again! But I'll be trying out the duck soon.

 

[Anna N]

@liuzhou

 

What is not to love about duck noodles?  I will be anxiously awaiting your report.  I am picturing in my mind slices of rare duck breast but it is my understanding that rare meat is not the Chinese way. 

[liuzhou]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

@liuzhou

 

What is not to love about duck noodles?  I will be anxiously awaiting your report.  I am picturing in my mind slices of rare duck breast but it is my understanding that rare meat is not the Chinese way. 

 

Indeed. I find it a bit odd. Every supermarket and farmers' market has buckets of congealed pig or chicken blood for use in hot pots and soups, but show them a bit of rare meat and they recoil in horror. Although I have been served pink chicken and baffled the wait staff by rejecting it.

[liuzhou]

This is the 老友分 (lǎo yǒu fēn) or "Old Friend Noodles" dish mentioned in this post (3rd from top).

 

 

It's rice noodles with tomato, pickled bamboo shoots,  chili,  fermented black  beans,  garlic, scallion, and of course pork.

Edited September 29, 2019 by liuzhou (log)

[TicTac]

On 2/20/2016 at 9:45 PM, liuzhou said:

 

I don't know the answer to that one. It doesn't smell in the least obnoxious to me. But I've heard it said, often. In fact the subject came up at the banquet I had the other night and none of us could understand it. The pickling process is pretty standard.

 

 

You will know better than I - but is there a difference between preserved vs pickled bamboo?

 

I local (and excellent!) Vietnamese place has one bowl which I simply cannot bring myself to try as the aroma is too off putting - it is a duck and preserved bamboo soup.  I can smell it from tables away.

 

No thank you.

 

Love noodle soups, this is great stuff!

 

 

[liuzhou]

26 minutes ago, TicTac said:

 

You will know better than I - but is there a difference between preserved vs pickled bamboo?

 

I local (and excellent!) Vietnamese place has one bowl which I simply cannot bring myself to try as the aroma is too off putting - it is a duck and preserved bamboo soup.  I can smell it from tables away.

 

No thank you.

 

Love noodle soups, this is great stuff!

 

 

 

To know for sure, I'd really have to see the Vietnamese or Chinese names. Preserved bamboo is a blanket term - pickled bamboo is preserved, too.

 

I've seen bamboo shoots dried, salt fermented, vinegar pickled and more.

I'm guessing the smelly one is the vinegar one, as I know some people do dislike it, although I find it inoffensive.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by liuzhou (log)

[heidih]

I lost my favorite beef noodle place  to gentrification. But the memory lingers on. Memories can cloud current taste.

[liuzhou]

Last night (Beijing time) I was asked by @Tropicalseniorto start a topic covering China's noodles dishes. I apologised but explaned that that would be a never-ending task. There are thousands!

Later, thinking about it, I thought maybe I could just do Guangxi, where I live. So, this morning I sent out an SOS to all my friends on WeChat, China's equivalant of Facebook combined with Twitter and much more.
 

Quote

This may sound strange, but I’ve been asked to write about all the noodle dishes in China, but that would take the rest of this life and most of next, too! So, I thought maybe I could write about noodles dishes in Guangxi. Of course, I know every city has different special noodles. Liuzhou's 螺蛳粉 (luó sī fěn), Guilin's 桂林米粉 (guì lín mǐ fěn), Nanning's 老友粉 (lǎo yǒu fěn) etc. But I don’t know all the others. I guess I have friends in every part of Guangxi, so please tell me about your home town special noodles!

Within minutes I had this list. They are still coming. I have given the city where they are considered to be local.

武鸣榨粉 (wǔ míng zhà fěn)  pressed rice noodles from Wuming, Nanning
宾阳酸粉 (bīn yáng suān fěn) sour noodles from Binyang, Nanning
北海蟹仔粉 (běi hǎi xiè zǎi fěn) crab noodles from Beihai
北海猪脚粉 (běi hǎi zhū jiǎo fěn) pig foot noodles from Beihai
玉林牛腩粉 (yù lín niú nǎn fěn) beef tenderloin noodles from Yulin
玉林牛巴粉 (yù lín niú bā fěn) beef jerky noodles from Yulin
柳江三都镇烧鸭粉 (liǔ jiāng sān dū zhèn shāo yā fěn) duck noodles from Liujiang, Liuzhou

狗肉粉 (gǒu ròu fěn）dog meat noodles from Dongquan, Liuzhou
钦州猪脚粉 (qīn zhōu zhū jiǎo fěn) pig foot noodles from Qinzhou

 

You will notice both Beihai and Qinzhou are claiming pig foot noodles, but they are adjacent prefectures on the coastline of the Gulf of Tonkin near the border with Vietnam. Which one wins, I will leave for others to decide.

 

There are other cities yet to come. I'll edit and update as and when.

 

Also many noodles dishes are not specific to one place.

 

A few of these I've never had, but I'm on the lookout.

 

[Tropicalsenior]

Thank you so much, but now I'm completely confused. Are all the pasta type dishes in China called noodle dishes? Do they use a lot of different types of pasta? Then there's always the inevitable question. Who made them first? The Italians or the Chinese. I have a hunch that the Chinese were making them long before the first Italians we're still trying to find the wolf.

[liuzhou]

16 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Thank you so much, but now I'm completely confused. Are all the pasta type dishes in China called noodle dishes? Do they use a lot of different types of pasta? Then there's always the inevitable question. Who made them first? The Italians or the Chinese. I have a hunch that the Chinese were making them long before the first Italians we're still trying to find the wolf.

 

Most are called noodles, but there are exceptions. Someone, not so long ago, posted on another topic that noodles were the only type of 'pasta' in China, but soon shut up when I posted pictures of non-noodles pastas. I forget which topic.

Noodle/pasta certainly existed in China long before in Italy. These ossified noodles, found in China, are about 4,000 years old according to the boffins.

 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

This recipe for Chinese hand-pulled noodles showed up in my email the other day. I'm just curious. Do very many people make their own noodles and have you ever made them?

[liuzhou]

On 8/11/2021 at 10:46 PM, Tropicalsenior said:

This recipe for Chinese hand-pulled noodles showed up in my email the other day. I'm just curious. Do very many people make their own noodles and have you ever made them?

 

Very, very few people make their own noodles. In fact, the only people I've met who do so are professional noodle makers, one of whom attempted to teach me about twenty years ago. I go with the majority in this. It is not worth the effort.

 

Why spend time and effort making something so difficult to get right, when you can buy them so easily for much less than it would cost you to make them, to say nothing of the hard work and the high probability of failure?

 

I buy my lamian (拉面 - lā miàn, pulled noodles) freshly made from a small restaurant near my home which makes them to order as you watch. They are from Lanzhou and serve the noodles in various dishes, but also sell them uncooked for you to take home.

I doubt very much anyone has successfully made them from that recipe you linked to. For a start, the flour here is different (usually lower in gluten), and a herbal alkali known as 蓬灰 (péng huī), erigeron acris  is added to the mix to make them more elastic. Only true masters can make the noodles without it; it takes years of practice.

 

I had a look at a few of the "Chinese" recipes listed below, too. They are awful; full of mistakes and false information. Hainanese chicken rice isn't Chinese; it's from Singapore. Kung pao isn't from Hunan; it's from Sichuan and the recipe is nothing like Kungpao (宫保- gōng bǎo) anyway! Those recipes are, at best, American restaurant dishes, but not good ones. Some of the comments are amusing, though. Especially one comment where the person substituted almost every ingredient in the recipe for something else then announced the recipe was garbage as it didn't taste good!

Edited February 10, 2023 by liuzhou (log)