Dry noodles are arguably one of the most ubiquitous foods in Taiwan — you can find them everywhere from street food stalls and on supermarket shelves, to Michelin-listed restaurants of all cuisines and styles.
The all-day staple is enjoyed as a warm and filling meal, a quick snack to cure the midday nibbles, or a satisfying supper before bed. The recent years have seen exciting new launches of dry noodle kits for cooking at home by chefs, restaurants, and celebrities alike. Its many iterations, flavors, and styles reveal the diversity and richness of Taiwan's food culture, exemplified by the restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide Taipei Taichung that feature dry noodles as their signature dishes.
Deconstructing a dry noodle dish
Deconstructing a dish of dry noodles reveals its simple, yet essential elements: noodles, oil, seasoning, and accompaniments. The composition is simple, but the combinations are endless with each component as important as the others. Every establishment has its own secret recipes and techniques, down to how diners are supposed to eat the dish to best enjoy it. Most restaurants emphasize that the noodles should be mixed as soon as the bowl is set on the table so that the oil, sauce, and noodles can be fully combined and release its fragrance in a cloud of steam — an integral aspect of best enjoying a bowl of dry noodles.
The most common types of noodles in Taiwan are white noodles such as Yangchun noodles or lamian; yellow noodles with added alkali like youmian (oil noodles); as well as egg noodles like yimian made with chicken or duck eggs, each with its own distinct flavor and texture.
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The one you’ll find most commonly at street food stalls is probably youmian. 50-year-old Bib Gourmand establishment A Kun Mian in Taichung serves up traditional style dry noodles (pictured on the right) featuring yellow youmian with soybean sprouts, minced pork, and shallots smothered in a homemade sauce and a local chili condiment. Sweet and spicy, the dish whets the appetite for more. The Guide also recommends Bib Gourmand eatery A Cheng Goose in Zhongshan for its dry noodles that offer a choice of youmian or yimian with soybean sprouts, chives, and sweet sauce; try also the moreish dry yimian in a special spicy sauce.
Next, the sauces that dress the noodles are also a science and an art. Sesame sauce, zhajiang (bean sauce), and minced meat sauce are common in Taiwanese street food dishes. Every establishment holds its recipe close: the ratio of sesame sauce to vinegar and oil; the exact ingredients that go in a zhajiang — minced meat, dried bean curd, mushrooms, beans, and carrots are just some of them — and the techniques behind a perfect mince sauce from the specific cut of meat to marination.
If dry noodles are a blank canvas for culinary creativity, the sauces are the paint: Taipei Bib Gourmand establishment MoonMoonFood (Qingdao East Road) offers youmian and yimian tossed in a homemade crispy shallot oil; but in recent years, a new signature has emerged. The Love-Hate Noodles With Sesame and Hemp Pepper Sauce features a rich and spicy combination of two different sauces. Meanwhile, a visit to Yanping Night Market would be incomplete without a dinner stop at Bib Gourmand recommended Shih Chia Big Rice Ball for its signature savory glutinous rice balls and fan favorite dry white noodles with sesame and bean paste sauce that boasts a silky texture and delicious fragrance.
A spotlight on noodles
Sometimes, the noodles are the star of the show. Fourth generation-run Bib Gourmand establishment Qin Yuan Chun in Taichung offers guangban mian, a deceivingly plain-looking dish. Chef Brad Ku explains that the thin white lamian noodles are dressed simply with soy sauce and sesame oil for two reasons: the first being to better appreciate the taste and texture of the noodles and second to complement and not overshadow the other dishes it is accompanying. “This style of noodles is simpler than the usual dry noodles in the market. The focus is on the taste of the noodles. Foodies familiar with Shanghainese cuisine will pair it with our dishes like stir-fried swamp eel, stir-fried assorted vegetables, our Eight Treasures spicy sauce, and ma-po tofu, which are all great accompaniments for our guangban mian,” says Tony Weng, another chef at Qin Yuan Chun.
Now run by its third generation, Bib Gourmand-recommended No Name Noodles in Taichung also boasts a secret family recipe for its Shanghainese-style thin noodles. Second-gen proprietress Chi Chiang Yu-hsien shares that the establishment works with a manufacturer who produces the noodles exclusively for them according to their specification for how much flour and water to use. Made fresh everyday, the noodles are served in different dishes at the shop, such as dan dan noodles, pickled cabbage noodles, mustard greens and shredded pork noodles, signature pork rib noodles, and zhajiang noodles with shredded carrots and firm tofu.
Also in Taichung, Bib Gourmand establishment Mu Gong Noodles places its emphasis on the unadulterated taste of its noodles. Founder Chian-guang Jan learned how to make authentic Jiangzhe noodles from his father-in-law. Thin and chewy, the noodles are simply garnished with chopped green onion, bok choy, lard and soy sauce, bringing out the fragrance of the noodles and sauce together. The lard, so essential in bringing out the fragrance of the noodles, is rendered from fresh premium fatty pork in a laborious process that takes up to two hours.
In Taipei, there are two signature dry noodle dishes on the menu at two-MICHELIN-starred restaurant The Guest House. The first is Hand Made Noodles With Chili Sauce: also known as one of the 10 wonders of Shaanxi, hot oil biang biang noodles are formed like belts, wide and flat, then topped with chili crisp, minced garlic, chopped green onions, and dried chili flakes before being doused in hot oil and served with a fragrant braised pork gravy. The second, listed as Noodles With Chili Sauce on the menu, features thick Yangchun noodles with a slow-cooked green chili pepper sauce with homemade chicken oil and soy sauce, seasoned with a touch of sugar.
In Taiwan’s ubiquitous beef noodle restaurants, thick-cut homemade noodles are common. For example, Bib Gourmand Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles offers the choice of thin or thick fresh wheat noodles. The thicker noodles are cut into wide 2-centimeter-long strips that prevent the noodles from sticking together and provide a delicious chew.
Though a seemingly ordinary and everyday sight, Taiwan’s unique culinary culture of eating dry noodles is a must-experience food adventure for international visitors.
This article was written by Hsieh Ming Ling and translated by Rachel Tan. The original article can be viewed here.
