Qing Tang Mian
清汤面·(qīng tāng miàn)
Grandma's Hands (Dough and Comfort)
Tuesday at 8 p.m., the kitchen is quiet, the water boils, and the bowls wait for toasted scallions, light soy sauce, and a pinch of white pepper. This ten-minute bowl relies on the quiet genius of the da liao method: building a concentrated flavor bomb in an empty serving bowl and hitting it with hot, starchy noodle water to instantly emulsify the fat. There is no master stock and absolutely no substitute for the rendered lard—it binds the soy sauce to the starch so the noodles slip perfectly over your chopsticks. Slurp them immediately, while the broth is still scalding.
Ingredients
- pork lard1 tsp
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- salt1 pinch
- ground white pepper1/4 tsp
- MSG or chicken bouillon powder1 pinch
- Chinese black vinegar1/2 tsp
- scallions2 tbsp
- thin dried Chinese wheat noodles3 oz
- egg1 large
- leafy greens1 small handful
Method
- 01
Build the flavor bowl while the water boils.
Into a large serving bowl, add the lard, light soy sauce, salt, white pepper, MSG, vinegar, and scallions.
- 02
Fry the egg until the edges are crispy.
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat with a dab of lard or oil, and fry the egg until the whites are golden brown but the yolk remains soft.
- 03
Boil the noodles.
Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil, add the noodles, and stir immediately to prevent sticking while they cook for three to four minutes.
- 04
Bloom the broth with hot noodle water.
About thirty seconds before the noodles are done, ladle one and a half cups of the boiling, starchy noodle water directly into the serving bowl and stir gently to melt the lard and emulsify the broth.
- 05
Blanch the greens and marry the dish.
Toss the greens into the boiling pot for the final fifteen seconds, then lift the noodles and greens out, shake off the excess water, and fold them into the waiting broth.
- 06
Top with the fried egg and serve immediately.
Slide the crispy egg on top of the noodles and eat while piping hot.
Notes
Do not substitute the lard.
Rendered pork fat is the undisputed soul of this dish, providing a luxurious mouthfeel and porky fragrance that chicken stock or sesame oil simply cannot replicate.
Scale this recipe by the bowl.
If cooking for a family, line up empty bowls and distribute the base ingredients into each one rather than trying to mix a giant batch in a pot, which ruins the fresh aromatic punch of the scallions.
From Cook Sichuan in America.