Best Central Southern Chinese Noodles Types
Silver needle is a traditional type of noodle originating from Meizhou. The noodles are short, white, and semi-transparent. They're usually made from a mixture of ground rice flour (glutinous or not) and water, along with cornstarch that's often added in order to prevent breaking when cooked.
Nowadays, wheat starch is sometimes used instead of the rice flour. The rice flour and water mixture is pushed through a sieve directly into a pot of boiling water. Silver needle noodles are available in commercial versions or fresh and they're rarely made at home.
Lai fun is a traditional type of noodle originating from Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta region. The noodles are thick and short, similar to silver needle noodles. It's easy to distinguish one from another – lai fun are cut straight down, as opposed to silver needle noodles that have a tapering tail that looks similar to a rat tail.
Lai fun noodles are usually made with a combination of rice flour and tapioca starch. They're often served with vegetables and sliced meat, or used in broths and salads. Sometimes, lai fun is even stir-fried with other ingredients.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Saang mein is a Hongkongese noodle variety consisting of wheat flour, tapioca flour, water, and salt. The noodles are often likened to ramen noodles, but have a somewhat smoother texture. Saang mein can be consumed on its own or drizzled with some sesame oil.
The noodles can also be paired with stir-fried vegetables, and they are commonly served hot.
Henan braised noodles are traditional Chinese hand-pulled noodles originating from Henan. This style of wheat flour noodles dates back more than 800 years. The noodles are served in three types of broth – based on beef, mutton, or seafood.
The most common variety is the broth that's made with beef, onions, mushrooms, and vermicelli. Lamb bones and Chinese herbs are added to the broth, and it's cooked for at least 5 hours in order to become distinctly white and milky in color. Condiments such as chili oil, coriander, and vinegar are often added to the broth with Henan braised noodles.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.