Chinese noodles explained

Chinese noodles
Country:China
Type:Noodles

Chinese noodles vary widely according to the region of production, ingredients, shape or width, and manner of preparation. Noodles were invented in China, and are an essential ingredient and staple in Chinese cuisine. They are an important part of most regional cuisines within China, and other countries with sizable overseas Chinese populations.

Chinese noodles can be made of wheat, buckwheat, rice, millet, maize, oats, soybeans, mung beans, yams, cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and meats such as fish and shrimp. There are over 1,200 types of noodles commonly consumed in China today,[1] with tens of thousands of noodle dish varieties prepared using these types of noodles.[2]

Chinese noodles have also entered the cuisines of neighboring East Asian countries such as Korea and Japan, as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Nomenclature

Nomenclature of Chinese noodles can be difficult due to the vast spectrum available in China and the many dialects of Chinese used to name them. In Mandarin, miàn (; often transliterated as "mien" or "mein") refers to noodles made from wheat flour, while fěn (Chinese: [[wikt:粉|粉]]) or "fun" refers to noodles made from other starches, particularly rice flour and mung bean starch. Each noodle type can be rendered in pinyin for Mandarin, but in Hong Kong and neighboring Guangdong it will be known by its Cantonese pronunciation ("meen" or "mien" for wheat noodles, "fun" for non-wheat). Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and many other Overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia may use Hokkien (Min Nan) instead (e.g. "mee" for wheat noodles, "hoon" or "hun" for non-wheat). Wheat noodles, for example, are called mian in Mandarin, mein in Cantonese, men in Japanese, mee in Thai and guksu in Korean.[3]

Sometimes, the principal ingredient used in the preparation such as wheat, buckwheat, rice, potato, corn flour, bean, soybean flour, yam flour, mung-bean starch, sweet potato, cassava, etc. may also form the basis of naming noodles.[4]

History

The earliest written record of noodles is from a book dated to the Eastern Han period (25–220 AD).[5] Noodles, often made from wheat dough, became a prominent staple of food during the Han dynasty.[6] In the Western Han dynasty, due to demand by the military, it was necessary for the government to implement food processing technologies that would make the food storage easier and more affordable. During this time, “Laomian” emerged, it was made with starch-rich buckwheat, millet and pea flours with lower water content, making it easier to store and transport.[7]

During the Song dynasty (960–1279) noodle shops were very popular in the cities, and remained open all night. During the earlier dynastic periods Chinese wheat noodles were known as "soup cake", as explained by the Song dynasty scholar Huáng Cháo Yīng (黃朝英) mentions in his work "A delightful mixed discussion on various scholarly topics" (Scroll 2) that in ancient times bready foods like pasta are referred collectively as "bing" and differentiated through their cooking methods

Up until 1992, most dried Chinese noodles in the United States could not be sold labelled as "noodles".[8] [9] This is due to fact that many Chinese noodles are made without eggs and do not always use wheat as starch, thus resulting in the United States Department of Agriculture obliging manufacturers to label them as "imitation noodles" or "alimentary paste".

Production

Chinese noodles are generally made from either wheat flour, rice flour, or mung bean starch, with wheat noodles being more commonly produced and consumed with the ancient wooden noodles mold technology in northern China and rice noodles being more typical of southern China. Egg, lye, and cereal may also be added to noodles made from wheat flour in order to give the noodles a different color or flavor. Egg whites, arrowroot or tapioca starch are sometimes added to the flour mixture in low quantities to change the texture and tenderness of the noodles' strands. Although illegal, the practice of adding the chemical cross-linker borax to whiten noodles and improve their texture is also quite common in East Asia. In general, the Chinese noodles cooking method involves making a dough with flour, salt, and water; mixing the dough by hand to form bar shapes; bending the bars for proofing; pulling the bars into strips; dropping the strips into a pot with boiling water; and removing the noodles when finished cooking.[7] Chinese type noodles are generally made from hard wheat flours, characterized by bright creamy white or bright yellow color and firm texture.[10]

Before the automatic noodle machine was invented in 1950s, the processing of Chinese noodles were made with four steps, including:

The dough for noodles made from wheat flour is typically made from wheat flour, salt, and water, with the addition of eggs or lye depending on the desired texture and taste of the noodles. Rice or other starch-based noodles are typically made with only the starch or rice flour and water. After the formation of a pliable dough mass, one of five types of mechanical processing may be applied to produce the noodles:

EnglishChinesePinyinProcess
CutqiēThe dough is rolled out into a flat sheet, folded, and then cut into noodles of a desired width
Extruded挤压jǐ yāThe dough is placed into a mechanical press with holes through which the dough is forced to form strands of noodles
PeeledxiāoA firm dough is mixed and formed into a long loaf. Strips of dough are then quickly sliced or peeled off the loaf directly into boiling water
PulledThe dough is rolled into a long cylinder, which is then repeatedly stretched and folded to produce a single thin strand
KneadedróuA ball of dough is lightly rolled on a flat surface or kneaded with one's hands until it is formed into the desired shape
FlickedA soft dough is prepared, placed in a bowl, strips of dough are pulled and flicked directly into boiling water using a flexible bamboo stick or chopstick

While cut and extruded noodles can be dried to create a shelf-stable product to be eaten months after production, most peeled, pulled and kneaded noodles are consumed shortly after they are produced.

Cooking

Noodles may be cooked from either their fresh (moist) or dry forms. They are generally boiled, although they may also be deep-fried in oil until crispy. Boiled noodles may then be stir fried, served with sauce or other accompaniments, or served in soup, often with meat and other ingredients. Certain rice-noodles are made directly from steaming the raw rice slurry and are only consumed fresh.

Unlike many Western noodles and pastas, Chinese noodles made from wheat flour are usually made from salted dough, and therefore do not require the addition of salt to the liquid in which they are boiled. Chinese noodles also cook very quickly, generally requiring less than 5 minutes to become al dente and some taking less than a minute to finish cooking, with thinner noodles requiring less time to cook. Chinese noodles made from rice or mung bean starch do not generally contain salt.

Types

Wheat

These noodles are made only with wheat flour and water. If the intended product is dried noodles, salt is almost always added to the recipe.

Common English name CharactersPinyin Cantonese Hokkien Description
Cat's ear 貓耳朵 māo ěr duǒ maau1 ji5do2 ? Looks like a cat's ear; similar to western Orecchiette
Cold noodles 凉面涼麵liáng miàn loeng4min6 ?Served cold
刀削面刀削麵dāo xiāo miàndou1soek3min6 ?Relatively short flat noodle peeled by knife from a firm slab of dough
拉麵lā miàn laai1min6 la-mīHand-pulled noodles from which ramen was derived
一個麵
一家麵
yī gè miàn; yījiā miànjat1go3 min6; jat1gaa1 min6?North American Chinese style wheat noodles similar to spaghetti; sold in Canada and the United States
捞面撈麵lāo miàn laau4min6; lou1 min6 lo miEgg noodles that are stir fried with sliced vegetables, meats or other seasonings
面线麵線 miàn xiàn min6sin3 mī-sòaⁿ Thin, salted wheat noodles (1 mm diameter). Can be caramelized to a brown colour through extensive steaming. Similar to very fine vermicelli
宮麵 gōng miàn gung1min6 ?
生面生麵 shēng miàn sang1min6 senn mīSoapy texture
粗面粗麵 cū miàn cou1min6 chho͘-mīThick wheat flour noodles, from which udon was derived

Lye-water or egg

These wheat flour noodles are more chewy in texture and yellow in color either due to the addition of lye (sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, or potassium hydroxide) or egg (either using only the egg white, yolk, or both). This class of lye-water noodles has a subtle but distinctive smell and taste, described by some as being "eggy".

Common English name CharactersPinyin Cantonese Hokkien Description
油面油麵 yóu miàn jau4min6 iû-mīMade of wheat flour and egg or lye-water; often comes pre-cooked.
幼面幼麵 yòu miàn jau3min6 iù-mīThin lye-water noodles; one of the most common Cantonese noodles
麵薄 miàn báo min6bok6 mī-po̍k Flat egg or lye-water noodles. Similar to tagliatelle
伊麵
伊府麵
yī miàn;yī fǔ miànji1min6;ji1fu2 min6i-mīi-hú-mī Fried, chewy noodles made from wheat flour and egg or lye-water
蝦子麵 xiā zǐ miàn haa1zi2 min6 hê-tsí-mīMade of wheat flour, lye-water, and roe, which show up as black spots
竹昇麵 zhú shēng miàn zuk1 sing1 min6 tik-sing-mīA rare type of Cantonese noodle in which the dough is tenderized with a large bamboo log

Rice

Rice-based noodles can be:

  1. Extruded from a paste and steamed into strands of noodles
  2. Steamed from a slurry into sheets and then sliced into strands

These noodles are typically made only with rice and water without the addition of salt. Although unorthodox, some producers may choose to add other plant starches to modify the texture of the noodles.

Common English name CharactersPinyin Cantonese Hokkien Description
粿条 gǔo tiáo gwo2tiu4 kóe-tiâu Flat rice noodles
沙河粉 shā hé fěn saa1ho4 fan2 sa-hô-húnVery wide, flat, rice noodles
河粉 hé fěn ho2fan2 hô-hún
瀨粉
酹粉
lài fěn laai6 fan2 luā-hún Thick round semi-transparent noodle made from sticky rice
Mixian or Mai sin 米線
米线
mǐ xiàn mai5sin3 bee sua Rice noodles also called Guilin mífěn (桂林米粉)
米粉 mí fěn mai5fan2 bí-hún Thin rice noodles

Starch

These noodles are made using various plant starches. Mung bean starch noodles will often be cut with tapioca starch to make them more chewy and reduce production costs.

Common English name CharactersPinyin Cantonese Hokkien Description
冬粉 dōng fěn dung1fan2 tang-hún Very thin mung bean starch noodles, similar to vermicelli
粉絲 fěn sī fan2si1 ?Thin cellophane-like noodles
粉皮 fěn pí fan2pei4 hún-phêWide, clear noodles made from mung bean starch
凉皮 líang pí loeng4pei4 ?Translucent noodles made from wheat starch left from producing gluten
銀針粉 yín zhēn fěn ngan4 zam1fan2 ?Spindle-shaped wheat starch noodles, ca. 5 cm in length and 3–5 mm in diameter
老鼠粉 lǎo shǔ fěn lou5syu2 fan2 niáu-chhú-hún
Suān là fěn 酸辣粉 suān là fěn syun1 laat6 fan2 ?Chongqing hot & spicy sweet potato starch noodles

Oat

In China, particularly in western Inner Mongolia and Shanxi province, oat (Avena nuda) flour is called yóu miàn (莜面), and is processed into noodles or thin-walled rolls, which are consumed as staple food.[12] The process of making oat noodles relies on twisting them on a marble plate to ensure the dough will not stick on it, and turning them into strips and thin-rolls. It can be boiled or steamed, then served with different sauces to eat.[13]

Millet

The oldest archaeological evidence of noodles shows that they came from China and were made from millet, which is an indigenous crop to northern China.[14] In 2005, a team of archaeologists reported finding an earthenware bowl that contained 4000-year-old noodles at the Lajia archaeological site.[15] These noodles were said to resemble lamian, a type of Chinese noodle. Analyzing the husk phytoliths and starch grains present in the sediment associated with the noodles, they were identified as millet belonging to Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica.

Chinese noodle dishes

The following are a small portion of Chinese dishes that incorporate noodles:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Noodles in Contemporary China: Social Aspects underlying the Noodle Evolution (Qiulun Li) – Noodles on the Silk Road . 2022-07-01 . en-US.
  2. Zhang . Na . Ma . Guansheng . 2016-09-01 . Noodles, traditionally and today . Journal of Ethnic Foods . 3 . 3 . 209–212 . 10.1016/j.jef.2016.08.003 . 2352-6181. free .
  3. News: RAICHLEN . STEVEN . January 30, 1992 . Noodle nomenclature . W/6 . Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA).
  4. Adejuwon . Ololade H. . Jideani . Afam I. O. . Falade . Kolawole O. . 2020-04-02 . Quality and Public Health Concerns of Instant Noodles as Influenced by Raw Materials and Processing Technology . Food Reviews International . en . 36 . 3 . 276–317 . 10.1080/87559129.2019.1642348 . 199628755 . 8755-9129.
  5. Web site: Yasmin Noone . 2019-01-07 . Who invented the noodle, Italy or China? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220606045200/https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/07/29/who-invented-noodle-italy-or-china . 2022-06-06 . . en.
  6. Book: Sinclair, Thomas R.. Bread, beer and the seeds of change : agriculture's imprint on world history. 2010. CABI. Wallingford. 978-1-84593-704-1. 91. Sinclair, Carol Janas.
  7. AACCI Grain Science Library. 10.1094/cfw-62-2-0044. 13 February 2024 .
  8. Web site: Service. Steven Raichlen, Cox News. NOODLENOMENCLATURE. 2021-02-23. chicagotribune.com. 7 May 1992 . en-US.
  9. Web site: Cook's Thesaurus: Asian Noodles. 2021-02-23. www.foodsubs.com.
  10. Ranhotra. Gur. 1998. ASIAN NOODLE TECHNOLOGY. Asian Noodle. XX. 12. 1. 2 March 2019. 25 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180725003030/https://secure.aibonline.org/aibOnline_/secure.aibonline.org/catalog/example/V20Iss12.pdf. dead.
  11. Ranhotra. Gur. 1998. ASIAN NOODLE TECHNOLOGY. Asian Noodle. XX. 12. 2. 2 March 2019. 25 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180725003030/https://secure.aibonline.org/aibOnline_/secure.aibonline.org/catalog/example/V20Iss12.pdf. dead.
  12. Web site: Braised potato and oat noodles. China Daily. 16 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180627073235/http://shanxi.chinadaily.com.cn/2013-11/01/content_17074487.htm. 27 June 2018. dead.
  13. Web site: [Eat it]

    Shanxi Oat Noodles]

    . smartshanghai. 16 October 2017.
  14. Roach . John . 12 October 2005 . 4,000-Year-Old Noodles Found in China . . https://archive.today/20210831004300/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/4-000-year-old-noodles-found-in-china . 31 August 2021.
  15. Lu. Houyuan. Yang. Xiaoyan. Ye. Maolin. Liu. Kam-Biu. Xia. Zhengkai. Ren. Xiaoyan. Cai. Linhai. Wu. Naiqin. Liu. Tung-Sheng. 3. 13 October 2005. Culinary archaeology: Millet noodles in Late Neolithic China. Nature. 437. 7061. 967–968. 10.1038/437967a. 16222289. 2005Natur.437..967L. 4385122.