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Hakka flat rice noodles
Flat rice noodle soup
Pán-thiàu (客家粄條): wide, soft rice noodles in clear pork broth with chives, bean sprouts and shallot oil
TaiwaneseMeinong, a Hakka farming town in the hills of Kaohsiung, is famous for its ban tiao: broad, slippery rice noodles steamed fresh each morning and sold in roadside shops for lunch, either swimming in a clear pork broth or stir-fried with chives and bean sprouts. This is the soup version, light and savoury, with tender slices of pork, crunchy sprouts, garlic chives and plenty of shallot oil floating on top; Hakka cooks put a side plate of boiled pork with a salty-sour sauce next to it. Overcooking is the classic error here: fresh ban tiao only needs a dip in boiling water, and it falls apart if left in. Chef's tip: separate the sheets of noodle by hand before cooking; cold noodles straight from the pack stick together in thick clumps.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 6 ¾ cups pork bone or chicken stock
- 9 oz pork loinvery thinly sliced
- 1 tsp saltto taste
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
For the shallot oil
- 4 tbsp neutral oil or lard
- 5 shallotsthinly sliced
For the bowls
- 1 ¾ lb fresh wide rice noodlespeeled apart and cut into 2 cm wide strips if in sheets
- 5 ½ oz bean sprouts
- 2 ⅞ oz garlic chivescut into 3 cm lengths
- 1 stalk Chinese celery (optional)finely chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (optional)for drizzling
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat 4 tbsp neutral oil or lard in a small pan over a medium heat and fry 5 shallots, stirring often, until evenly golden. Keep the shallots in the oil.
7 minStep 2: Peel the sheets of 1 ¾ lb fresh wide rice noodles apart by hand, and cut them into 2 cm strips if they came as whole sheets. Cold noodles straight from the pack stick in clumps.
Step 3: Bring 6 ¾ cups pork bone or chicken stock to the boil and season with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground white pepper.
8 minStep 4: Turn the broth down to a simmer and add 9 oz pork loin, stirring to separate the slices. Cook for 2 minutes, until no pink remains (160°F in the thickest slice), then lift out with a slotted spoon. Skim any foam.
2 minStep 5: Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Blanch 5 ½ oz bean sprouts and 2 ⅞ oz garlic chives for 20 seconds, then scoop them out.
Step 6: Add the noodles to the same water in batches and cook for 30–60 seconds, until soft and heated through. Drain well.
Step 7: Divide the noodles between deep bowls and top with the pork, bean sprouts and chives.
Step 8: Ladle in the hot broth, then spoon over the shallot oil and crisp shallots. Finish with 1 stalk Chinese celery and a few drops of 1 tbsp soy sauce, and serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 510 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hakka flat rice noodles take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of pork bone or chicken stock?
- Vegetable stock, same amount.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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