Biang Biang Mian

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I made biang biang noodles and they were great! I followed Chinese Cooking Demystified and it’s always a great read. They talk about the history and cultural aspects, whose context helps to frame how the dish evolved and what limitations they were developed under. The techniques are broken down into great detail, to help non-chinese understand the nuances of Chinese cookery.

History

Biang biang noodles are from the the Northwest of China, in the province of Shaanxi. It came into popular culture due to Xi’an Famous Foods, which is a popular chain in New York.

Shaanxi cuisine is known for noodles and lamb dishes. They makes use of strong, assertive flavours (salt, savoury, oily). This is in contrast to Cantonese cuisine, which is sweeter and less spicy.

Chinese Character

The character for biang is incredibly complicated. It’s an onomatopoeia for the sound of the noodles smashing against the table when being slapped and pulled.

Dish Characteristic

These noodles are hand-pulled. This requires the dough to be elastic (gluten development) and extensible (pliable). To make this happen without dough conditioners, we utilized long rest times to allow the gluten to fully relax.

To flavour the dish, it is topped with spices and hot oil is poured over top. The hot oil blooms the spices. Sichuan peppercorns and chili flakes are good spices to start the dish with but you can tweak this as desired:

  • cumin to go with shredded lamb
  • poultry seasoning and poached chicken, for a fusion
  • paprika and espresso/cocoa with beef

Biang Biang Mian:

This is adapted from Chinese Cooking Demystified.

Ingredients

Ingredient Baker’s % Single Portion (g)
Flour - 60
Water 50% 30
Salt 1.5% 1/8 tsp

Ingredient Note

I used all-purpose and it works well. It develops enough gluten to give a good chew. As these are hand-pulled and wide noodles, using bread flour might not be desirable.

Technique

  1. Mix all ingredients together by hand. Knead only until well incorporated.
  2. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. This is the autolyse.
  3. Knead the dough until smooth, about 5 minutes.
  4. Form dough into a ball, split in two, and roll into logs.
  5. Oil well and let rest for 2 hours.
  6. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a long rectangle. Use a chopstick to score the center line.
  7. Using hands, pull apart gently. Bang on the table to encourage stretching.
  8. Hand rip down the middle seam.
  9. Cook in boiling water, 60 seconds.
  10. Serve tossed with bok choy and chili oil.

Chili Oil

To make chili oil, mix:

  • 1 tsp sichuan peppercorn
  • 4 tsp chili flakes
  • minced garlic
  • green onion
  • 1 tbsp oil

Microwave for 60 seconds.