Oil noodles

Oil noodles or cooked noodles is a type of Chinese noodle. It is sometimes used in Cantonese cuisine. In it is one variety of ''pancit'', known as lutong pancit.

Production

Oil noodles are made of wheat flour, , egg white, salt, corn oil, sodium benzoate.

Variety

Most oil noodle requires boiling or cooking. Some come ready in a pre-cooked state. It can be served hot or cold. Sauce, meat, broth or vegetables can be added.

Mung bean sheets

Mung bean sheets are a type of Chinese noodle. It is transparent, flat, and sheet-like. They can be found, in dried form, in Hong Kong and occasionally in some Chinatowns overseas.

Production

Similar to cellophane noodles, mung bean sheets are made of mung beans, except they are different in shape. The sheets are approximately 1 cm wide, like fettuccine noodles. They are produced in the Shandong province of eastern China , as well as in the northern city of Tianjin, and have a springier, chewier texture than the thinner noodles.

Use

Mung bean sheets are used for cold dishes, hot pots, and dishes, in conjunction with sliced meats and/or seafood, vegetables, and seasonings.

Mixian

Mixian : ; Pinyin: mǐxiàn) is a type of from the Yunnan Province of China. It is made from ordinary non- rice, and it is generally sold fresh rather than dried.

It is served in various ways, one famous one being ''guoqiao mixian'' , which is generally considered to be Yunnan's most famous dish.

Misua

Misua is a very thin variety of salted Chinese noodles made from . They differ from and cellophane noodles in that the latter two are made from rice and mung beans, respectively, and typically a lot thinner than those two varieties.

Preparation

Cooking misua usually takes less than 2 minutes in boiling water, and sometimes significantly less.

Culture

''Misua'' are cooked during important festivities, and eaten in China as well in Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Thailand, and the Philippines. ''Misua'' signifies long life in Chinese culture, and as such is a traditional birthday food. It is usually served topped with ingredients such as , oysters, pig's large intestine, , beef, shallots, or scallions, and roasted s.

In Taiwan, there are two forms of misua. The first is plain, while the second has been steamed at high heat, it to a light brown colour. For birthdays, plain misua is usually served plain with in stewed broth as a Taiwanese birthday tradition. Brown misua can be cooked for prolonged periods without disintegrating in the cooking broth and is used in oyster vermicelli , a dish popular in Taiwan.

Millinge

Millinge is a noodle dish. It is served with chopped chicken, pork, tomatoes, baby sweetcorn, and sauce.

Millinge is rare to make. Some people refer to milling or the Tesco Chinese packets. They refer to these packets as all the ingredients are there. "Pork Noodle" is the affectionate name for this.

Mee pok

Mee pok is a type of Chinese noodle that is flat and yellow, often varying in thickness and width. The dish is of Teochew origin and is eaten in Chaoshan , Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. They are usually served tossed in a sauce , though sometimes served in a soup . Meat and vegetables are also placed on top.

''Mee pok'' can be categorised into two variants, fish ball ''mee pok'' , and minced meat mushroom ''mee pok'' . ''Bak chor mee'' is usually exclusively made with flat noodles only, while ''yu wan mee'' can be made with other types of noodles.

''Mee pok'' is a staple offering in hawker centres and in Singapore, usually more than one stall would be selling it, together with other Chinese noodle dishes.

''Mee pok'' sauce

The sauce in which the noodles are tossed in is a very important aspect of the dish, and is considered a representation of the cook's skill and experience. The importance of the sauce in ''mee pok'' can be thought of similarly as the sauces that accompany pasta.

The sauce consists of 4 components: , oil, vinegar and other condiments such as soy sauce and . The chili is made from various ingredients and usually consists of elaborate processes such as frying and blending. The chili is what sets a good Mee Pok apart from a bad one. Oil is also essential for ensuring good smooth texture in the noodles. Traditionally, the oil from frying lard is used, together with the deep fried cubes of lard. However, vegetable oil is sometimes used as a healthier version, though at the expense of taste. Vinegar is added for an added sourness, and like other parts of the sauce, one can request to the cook how much vinegar he/she would like.

Occasionally the chili sauce is omitted and tomato sauce used instead, this is usually the case for children, who are uncomfortable with the spiciness of the chili.

Soup

Soup is served on a side bowl if one request for the "dry" version, or served together with the noodles for the "soup" version where the sauce is omitted. The soup is often of a mediocre quality, as the "soup" version is not requested as often as the "dry" version. Exceptions to this are a few hawkers who specialize in the "soup" version, however these are very rare.

It is common practise to leave the soup unfinished in both the "dry" and "soup" version, as it is often made using large quantities of salt and .

''Mee pok'' noodles

Usually, the noodles are factory made, and requires substantial preparation before cooking. Different prepare and cook their noodles differently, but the desired outcome is the same: springy noodles that have a firm bite and are not soggy.

Hawkers often toss the noodles vigorously to remove excess flour and soda and to separate noodles which have stuck together. Other processes include stretching the noodles, cutting into a desired length, and separating into serving portions.

The cooking process of the noodles usually consists of blanching in hot and cold water multiple times, though some hawkers omit the cold water. The noodles are then drained substantially and placed in either sauce or soup.

''Bak chor mee''

This version of ''mee pok'' consists of no fish products such as fish balls or fish cakes. The noodles are often served with minced meat, pork slices, pork liver , sliced mushrooms, meat balls, beansprouts, bits of deep-fried lard and a slice of lettuce. More traditional hawkers will also place a few small pieces of fried crispy sole fish as garnishing.

Fish ball ''mee pok''

This version of ''mee pok'' is usually served with toppings of fish balls, sliced fish cakes, ''Geow'' , minced meat, meat balls, lettuce or ''taugeh'' . Requests can be made to add or omit any of the above toppings, to prepare it in soup or "dry" style, and with or without the chili sauce.

Other variants of toppings

Newer varieties of toppings include deep fried dumplings, abalone slices, imitation crabstick, and other processed fish products.

''Mee pok'' in popular culture

* ''Mee Pok Man'' is the title of a film directed by Eric Khoo, a Singaporean film director.
* ''Bak chor mee'' featured prominently in an episode of The Mr Brown Show, which satirized the during the .

Lo mein

Lo mein is a with noodles. It often contains vegetables and some type of meat or seafood, usually beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or wontons. Traditionally this is a variation of wonton noodle soup. The soup is simply separated from the noodles and other ingredients and served on the side. However, the version sold in many places in North America is rather a hybrid of chow mein, though they are prepared differently. Chow mein is while lo mein is not fried.

Etymology

The term ''lo mein'' comes from the ''lōu mihn'' , meaning stirred noodles. The Cantonese usage of the character 撈, pronounced ''lōu'' and meaning "to stir", differs from the character's usual meaning of "to dredge" or "to scoop out of water" in standard Mandarin Chinese, in which case it would be pronounced ''làauh'' or ''lòuh'' in Cantonese . In Mandarin, the dish is more typically called ''bàn miàn'' , not to be confused with '''' .

American Chinese cuisine

In , lo mein is a popular take-out food. In this setting, Lo mein noodles are usually stirred with brown sauce , carrots, bok choy or cabbage, onions, and shrimp, roast pork, beef, or chicken. Lobster lo mein, vegetable lo mein, and "House" lo mein are often available.

However, in some regions of Western North America such as Vancouver, ordering Lo Mein will result in a dry dish of thin noodles with oyster sauce on top. This is accompanied by a bowl of broth used for wonton soup. This is much closer to the original Hong Kong version of the dish.