Chinese · Shaanxi · main

Biang Biang Noodles (You Po Che Mian)

Biang Biang Noodles (You Po Che Mian) reads salinity 5.2, umami 5.1 and allium 4.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese · Shaanxi main, about 1 hr 13 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Salinity 5.2 · Umami 5.1 · Allium 4.1 · Sweetness 3.7 · Nutty 3.6 · Heat 3.2 · Richness 3.0 · Funk & Ferment 2.9 · Herbaceous 2.3 · Sourness 1.9 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Citrus 1.3 · Floral 1.0 · Bitterness 0.8 · Earthy 0.7

What's in it (14)

Time & effort: about 1 hr 13 min (13 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 120.3 kcal, 4.5 g protein, 1.2 g fat, 23.8 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

  1. Mix the flour and salt, add the water gradually and bring it together into a stiff, shaggy dough. Knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth, rest covered 30 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. It will feel completely different, silky and elastic. Rest a further hour.
  2. Divide into 8, roll each piece into a flat tongue about 15 cm long and 4 cm wide, oil them all over and rest 1 hour more under cling film. The oil and the long rest are what let the gluten relax enough to stretch. A rushed dough snaps.
  3. Press a chopstick lengthways down the middle of each piece to leave a groove. Hold both ends, stretch the dough to arm width and slap it hard against the worktop as you pull; the slap is the biang, and the name is onomatopoeic. Tear along the groove to make one long belt and drop it straight into boiling water.
  4. Boil the noodles 90 seconds to 2 minutes, adding the greens for the last 30 seconds. Lift into wide bowls with a little of the noodle water still clinging.
  5. Pile the chilli flakes, garlic, spring onion, ground Sichuan pepper and sesame seeds in a heap on top of each bowl.
  6. Heat the 6 tbsp oil until it just begins to smoke, about 210 C, and pour it straight onto the heap. It should roar. Add the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar and toss hard from the bottom until every belt is red. This you po, oil-splashed, finish covers a whole family of Shaanxi noodle dishes, and there is no cooked sauce in it at all.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.