Banmian facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Banmian

Banmian in Singapore.
Course	Main
Region or state	Hakka-speaking areas (e.g. Malaysia, Singapore)
Main ingredients	Flat egg noodles, vegetables, anchovy, fish/meat, soup/dried

Banmian (simplified Chinese: 板面; traditional Chinese: 板麵; pinyin: bǎnmiàn) or pan mee (Min Nan Chinese: pán-mī) is a yummy Chinese noodle dish. It features special handmade noodles served in a tasty soup. Besides banmian, there are other types of handmade noodles. For example, youmian are thinner round noodles, and mee hoon kueh are flat, thin rectangular pieces. All these noodles have a similar dough texture and flavor.

What's in a Name?

The name banmian means "board noodle" or "block noodle." This name comes from how the Hakka people traditionally made the noodles. They used a wooden block as a ruler to cut the dough into straight noodle strands. In some Hakka areas, people might call it Man-Foon-Char-Guo (麵粉茶粿) or Dao-Ma-Chet (刀嬤切).

In Hokkien, this dish was known as Mee-Hoon-Kueh (麵粉粿), which means "wheat snack." However, today, what you find at food stalls is usually called banmian. The way banmian is made now is a mix of old Hakka and Hokkien traditions.

How the Noodles Are Made

Originally, the Hakka people made noodles by shaving pieces off a block of dough. This dough was usually made from flour, sometimes with egg added for more flavor. The Hokkien people, on the other hand, would roll the dough into a large, flat sheet. Then, they would tear it by hand into small, bite-sized pieces.

Traditionally, the dough is kneaded by hand and then torn into smaller pieces, about 2 inches big. Today, machines can also knead the dough and cut it into many shapes. The most common shape is flat strips of noodle.

A Popular Dish

Banmian is a very popular dish in places like China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. It's known for its egg noodles served in a flavorful soup. The soup often includes some kind of meat or fish, fresh vegetables, and different spices. You might also find dried anchovies, minced pork, mushrooms, and leafy greens like sweet potato leaves or sayur manis (a plant called sauropus androgynus).

Many people think banmian is a healthy food choice. You can find it sold at restaurants, by street vendors, and at food stalls in these regions.

The Soup Base

The most important part of banmian is the soup base. Because of this, there are many different ways to make it. People use various ingredients, stocks, and noodle shapes. Often, a cooked egg is placed on top of the hot soup and noodles.

The soup base can be plain water, but it's usually a type of fish stock. Anchovy stock is a very common choice. To add more flavor, ingredients like onions, garlic, ginger, and bean paste can be added to the stock. Some versions are very simple, using just plain stock. In Malaysia, sometimes the dry noodles and soup are served separately.

Dry Chilli Pan Mee

A special version of banmian is called dry chilli pan mee. It was first created in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, and is very popular in the Klang Valley area. This dry noodle dish is served with minced pork, crispy fried onions, and anchovies. It's topped with a poached egg, which you stir into the noodles before eating. It usually comes with dry chili flakes or a spicy paste called sambal.

Common Ingredients

Two ingredients you'll often find in different banmian dishes are mushrooms and anchovies. The exact type might change, but they are usually added to the soup base. Mushrooms can be dried and then softened in the broth. Anchovies can be fried until they are crispy and served on top of the soup. They can also be added directly to the stock to give it flavor as it cooks.

Once the main soup stock is ready, almost anything can be added to finish the banmian. This includes vegetables like green onions, spinach, cabbage, and bamboo shoots. A little bit of vinegar is often added, sometimes with sugar, to balance the flavors. Restaurants might offer fried minced pork or chunks of white fish to add protein to the soup. Finally, an egg is cracked into the hot broth and cooked until the white is firm and the yolk is warm.

See also

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• In Spanish: Ban mian para niños