Wuhan Hot Dry Noodles (Rè Gān Miàn 热干面)
Hot dry noodles (热干面) are to Wuhan what bagels are to New York: chewy alkaline noodles tossed in a rich sesame paste sauce with pickled vegetables, chili oil and scallions.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 240 g fresh alkaline noodles about 8½ oz
Sauce
- 3 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil divided
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
Toppings
- ¼ cup preserved mustard stem (zha cai, 榨菜) chopped, or to taste
- ¼ cup pickled long beans (suan dou jiao, 酸豆角) chopped, or to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- chili oil to taste
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 scallions sliced
- 1 tsp Chinese black vinegar
Instructions
- Put the sesame paste in a bowl and gradually stir in 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil until the paste is smooth.
- Add the soy sauce and sugar and stir until well combined. If the sauce is still too thick, thin it with a few drops of warm water or a little more soy sauce. Season with salt to taste and set aside. You can make this sauce ahead of time.
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions, but shorten the time slightly so they stay chewy and al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- Toss the noodles with the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil so they don't stick. Add the zha cai, pickled long beans, garlic, chili oil, cilantro, scallions, vinegar and the sesame sauce. Toss quickly and serve hot.
Notes
The restaurant trick: par-cook the noodles until al dente, toss them with sesame oil and let them cool and dry (in Wuhan, often in front of a fan). Just before serving, dip them in boiling water for a few seconds to heat through. This gives them their signature chewy texture.
Chinese sesame paste is made from deeply toasted whole sesame seeds. Tahini can stand in, but the flavor will be milder.
Zha cai is sold in cans or vacuum packs at Asian grocery stores. Traditional preserved spicy radish (辣萝卜干) works too.