Hot dry noodles facts for kids
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| Alternative names | 热干面 |
|---|---|
| Type | Noodles |
| Course | Breakfast |
| Place of origin | China |
| Region or state | Wuhan |
| Main ingredients | Alkaline noodles, soy sauce, sesame paste, pickled carrots, garlic, chili oil |
Hot dry noodles (simplified Chinese: 热干面; traditional Chinese: 熱乾麵; pinyin: règānmiàn), also known as reganmian, is a very popular traditional dish from Wuhan, a big city in central China. These noodles have been around for about 80 years. What makes them special is that they are served hot without any broth (a thin soup), which is different from most other Asian noodle dishes.
Hot dry noodles are the most famous and popular breakfast food in Wuhan. You can often find them sold by street vendors and in restaurants. They are available early in the morning, usually from 5 am, and sometimes even late at night as a snack. They are quick to make and affordable, making them a favorite choice for many people.
A typical bowl of hot dry noodles includes soy sauce, sesame paste, pickled vegetables (like carrots and beans), chopped garlic chives, and chili oil. Hot dry noodles are considered one of the "top five noodles of China." They were even rated the best Chinese noodle dish by CNTV in 2013.
Cooking Hot Dry Noodles
The way hot dry noodles are cooked is special. It's different from how you make cold noodles or soup noodles. This dish is always served hot, but without any soup.
First, fresh noodles are mixed with sesame oil. Then, they are cooked in boiling water. After cooking, the noodles are cooled down, which makes them soft and easy to bend.
Before you eat them, the noodles are quickly cooked again in boiling water. They are usually put into a special cone-shaped Chinese strainer. The strainer is dipped into boiling water for a short time, then swirled and drained.
Finally, the noodles are put into a bowl. Many tasty toppings are added, like sesame paste, salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chives, and pickled radish. Everything is stirred together, and then it's ready to eat!
Where Hot Dry Noodles Came From
Wuhan has very long and hot summers. In the past, food would spoil quickly because of the high temperatures. To help keep noodles fresh longer, people started adding a special ingredient called dietary alkali. This is how hot dry noodles slowly came to be.
There's a popular story about how they started in the early 1930s. A street vendor named Bao Li sold bean noodles and noodle soups near a temple. One day, he accidentally poured sesame oil on his noodles. The next day, he boiled them and added green onions and other seasonings. He sold them that morning, and people loved the unique taste! When customers asked what kind of noodles they were, Bao Li called them "hot dry noodles."
From that day on, Bao Li focused on making only hot dry noodles. They became incredibly popular in Wuhan. Many other cooks learned from him and started making them too. A few years later, a man named Cai opened a famous hot dry noodle shop called "Cai Lin Ji." This shop became well-known in Wuhan for its delicious hot dry noodles.
Hot dry noodles are a very important part of breakfast for people in Wuhan. Many visitors remember Wuhan because of these noodles. For people who live in Wuhan, or have stayed there for a while, hot dry noodles are more than just a snack. They are a special feeling that reminds them of home.
You can find hot dry noodle stalls almost everywhere in Wuhan. "Cai Lin Ji" was one of the first official stores. Even after many years, their refreshing and tasty hot dry noodles are still loved by many.
Different Kinds
As the way to make hot dry noodles spread, people in Xinyang, a city in Henan Province, created their own special version. This became a different kind of hot dry noodle dish.
