** Please note that the video, which was previously not working, has been fixed. You should be able to view it now!
The regional cuisines in China are famous worldwide. Who hasn’t heard or tasted the spiciness of Sichuan (aka Szechuan) cuisine, or the sweet and sour combinations of Guangdong (Canton) cuisine? While Sichuan cuisine is our most favorite (and it is totally different from the Szechuan cuisine that you get in the United States), one of our other favorites is the lesser known cuisine of the Northwestern provinces of China-- Xinjiang and Gansu. These provinces are predominantly populated by the Uyghur minority, who make for the majority of the Muslim population in China. Culturally, they have much more in common with the peoples of Central Asia than the Han Chinese who make up the overwhelming majority of the 1.3 billion people who live here. Their script is different, their language is different, and of course the food is different.
One reason for this difference is that they don’t eat pork because they’re Muslim; and pork is the most popular meat throughout the rest of China. Instead they eat more lamb and beef and they’re well known for their barbecued meats. Northwestern China is dry and hot, thus dried meats and fruits from this region are famous. Special drying houses made of bricks, where every other brick is missing to provide adequate ventilation, are used to make one of the region’s most well known agricultural products- raisins. Because the green seedless grapes are dried inside these houses, the raisins keep their fresh green color and they’re extremely delicious! The people of this region also use spices that other regions don’t use as often: cumin, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, and others.
One of our favorite dishes is a dish called la mian (pronounced "la mee-yan"), which translates to “pulled noodles”. It is a dish that has gained popularity throughout the country and has successfully crossed-over into mainstream Chinese culture. As a result, you can find a la mian restaurant in most of China’s cities, which is great because we eat the stuff at least once a week!
The most popular form of la mian is a soup. Its base is a rich beef broth to which they add sliced meat, some vegetables, and cooked noodles. It is similar to Vietnamese pho, but with some different spices. Chao mian is another dish that we will often opt for if the weather is too hot for soup. Chao mian translates to “fried noodles” , and it starts with the same pulled noodles that are cooked and then added to a sauce- like spaghetti, but with an entirely different flavor. We’ve brought every guest that has visited us to our local “Muslim noodles” restaurant. I’ll remember forever that these noodles were the dinner that Chris, my sister Mary, and I ate on the night of the day the massive earthquake hit Sichuan. Because of fear of aftershocks and potential for fires, the city shut down all of the gas lines. Most of the restaurants couldn’t operate, the one exception being the la mian restaurants. Because the majority of their dishes are noodle-based, and because their noodle and soup pots are usually located near the front of the restaurants and attached to a free-standing propane tank instead of the gas lines, they were able to make their noodles for the crowd of people who lined up for them that night.
Besides the deliciousness of the noodles, the other reason that we bring our visitors to these restaurants is because the process of making the noodles is entertaining to watch. As the name implies, “pulled” noodles are made by pulling. Young men, using deft hands and strong arms, are able to turn formless mounds of prepared dough into the most beautiful, delicate, and delicious noodles you can imagine. They are made fresh to order, and you can watch as your order of noodles is literally “pulled” before your eyes. I’ve enclosed a video here because the process is something that has to be seen to be truly appreciated.
We’re really going to miss la mian when we leave China. We’ll miss the dish itself, but we’ll also miss watching the entertaining process of making the noodles as well as the gracious and friendly la mian vendors who always seem so pleased to see us when we enter their little shops!
la mian = lo mein
chao mian = chao mein
I get it! I just ate dinner and I'm hungry all over again.
The video doesn't want to open...says it's "ready" but nothing happens.
Posted by: Ralph | October 27, 2009 at 05:40 PM