Back to Recipes

Re Gan Mian (Wuhan Hot Dry Noodles)

Re gan mian is what Wuhan eats for breakfast, sold from carts in paper bowls and mixed standing up. The noodles are cooked ahead, cooled and oiled, then flashed back through hot water to order, which is why they stay springy rather than soft.

The sauce is sesame paste rather than peanut, and it must be loosened properly with warm water before anything else goes in. Mix it all together hard at the table; it arrives looking unmixed by design.

Servings
2
Prep Time
10
mins
Cook Time
10
mins
Ingredients
12
Total Time
20
mins

Pantry bits

Sesame oil
Sesame oil
Light Soy Sauce
Light Soy Sauce
Black vinegar
Black vinegar

Ingredients

  • 400g fresh thick alkaline wheat noodles
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 4 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
  • 2 tbsp warm water
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 3 tbsp chilli oil, with sediment
  • 4 tbsp pickled radish, finely diced
  • 4 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1 handful coriander, chopped

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the noodles for about 2 minutes, until just short of done. They finish cooking as they cool.
  2. Drain, spread the noodles on a tray, toss them through with the sesame oil and fan them until cool and slightly dried out. This step is what makes them hot dry noodles rather than wet ones.
  3. Loosen the sesame paste in a bowl with the warm water, a spoonful at a time, until it is the texture of thin cream. Add it all at once and it will seize.
  4. Stir in the soy, vinegar, sugar and garlic.
  5. Dip the cooled noodles back into boiling water for 15 seconds to reheat, drain hard and tip into bowls.
  6. Spoon the sesame sauce over, add the chilli oil, pickled radish, spring onion and coriander, and mix everything together at the table before eating.

Other recipes

Bai Zhuo Xia (Cantonese Poached Prawns)
Bai Zhuo Xia (Cantonese Poached Prawns)
Muc Xao Can Tay (Vietnamese Squid Stir Fry with Celery)
Muc Xao Can Tay (Vietnamese Squid Stir Fry with Celery)
Telur Balado (Indonesian Chilli Eggs)
Telur Balado (Indonesian Chilli Eggs)

Never miss a recipe

Join thousands of subscribers and get our best recipes delivered to direct to your inbox!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.