Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Ban mian

Bǎn miàn is a -style egg noodle soup common in parts of China's Fujian province, and also in other parts of the world such as Singapore and Malaysia, although the dish itself may vary significantly. Some forms of ''ban mian'', for instance, comprise hand-kneaded pieces of dough, while others use regular strips of noodles.

''Ban mian'' is so named due to the characteristic flat shape of its noodles.

China


''Ban mian'' served in parts of China, such as in northern Fujian, comprises egg noodles which are boiled, and served in sesame butter sauce, and in soup.

Malaysia and Singapore


In Malaysia and Singapore, health-conscious individuals are taking to ban mian, due to its relatively-generous serving of vegetables and less use of seasoning and other artificial ingredients. Also known as ''handmade ban mian'' , it is, however, made using a hand-operated machine in the stall which forms noodles from the dough. The dish is served in soup, usually with pieces of minced pork, ikan bilis , vegetables, and an egg, and also commonly comes with sliced mushrooms and fish balls.

In Singapore, the handmade ban mian stalls often offer alternative toppings. For example, one can order ban mian with deep fried or fresh slices of fish.

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