What's the story? As far as Chinese
food-lore is concerned,
regan mian
(热干面) is relatively straightforward,
avoiding the customary historical
quagmire that usually accompanies
iconic dishes of Chinese cuisine.
Regan mian, or 'hot dry noodles',
unequivocally hails from Hubei's
capital Wuhan, and is one of the
time-honoured eight traditional
noodle dishes of Chinese cuisine.
It's long been a breakfast staple
for the people of Hubei and is now
found on street corners around
China, including our fair city. It's
fast to prepare, the ingredients are
cheap and the flavouring accents
bold and easily customisable – a
natural recipe for success. There
is some local variation, of course,
but all
regan mian can be divided
into three parts: freshly cooked
wheaten noodles, pickled carrot
and occasionally minced pork, and
a thick sesame paste-based sauce. The sauce can either be drizzled
over and tossed with the noodles
or allowed to pool in the bowl for thediner to mix. No matter how you mix
it, this super cheap, super delicious
staple is an absolute must for those
looking to save a few RMB without
sacrificing on flavour.
Where?
Although we love just
about anything short of the instant
version (commonly reserved for
train station waiting rooms and
silent tears), our new favourite spot
for an elevated take on regan mian
is Chunxiu Lu's Morning. Morning's
regan mian (25RMB) is worth the
trip any time of day. High-quality
noodles are topped with chunks of
braised pork (beef is available as
well) and doused in the sweet and
savoury signature sesame sauce.
The sleek, minimalist interior is in
shocking contrast to the street-stall
fare, but Morning doesn't mess
around, serving up hands down the
best bowl of regan mian we have yet
encountered in Beijing.
