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Kao leng mian (grilled cold noodle sheets)
Griddled noodle sheet wrap
烤冷面 · Harbin's griddled noodle-sheet snack with egg, sweet chilli sauce, onion and coriander
On winter nights outside schools and night markets in Harbin, Heilongjiang, vendors slap thin sheets of pressed cold noodle onto a flat griddle, crack an egg over them, flip, paint them with a sweet-and-hot sauce and fold them around raw onion and coriander. It is a snack from the 1990s that spread across the north-east and now turns up at night markets all over China. The sheet should be chewy with crisp, lacy edges, and the egg should cling to it rather than slide off. The usual mistake is putting the egg on a sheet that is still dry and stiff: sprinkle it with water first so it softens and the egg can grip it. Packets of ready-made kao leng mian sheets are sold in Chinese supermarkets, in the chilled or dried noodle aisle. Chef's tip: keep the heat medium, not high; the sauce has sugar in it and burns long before the egg is set.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 2 kao leng mian noodle sheetsabout 20 × 15 cm each, from a Chinese supermarket
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp water
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese chilli sauceor chilli bean paste for more heat
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp Chinese black vinegar
To fill
- ½ onionvery finely chopped
- ⅓ oz corianderchopped
- 2 spring onionsfinely sliced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Stir together 1 tbsp sweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang), 1 tbsp Chinese chilli sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp Chinese black vinegar in a small bowl until smooth. It should be thick enough to brush on.
Step 2: Heat a large flat frying pan or griddle over a medium heat and brush it with half of ½ tbsp vegetable oil. Lay one of the 2 kao leng mian noodle sheets flat in the pan and sprinkle it with half of 1 tbsp water. It will hiss and steam; let it soften for about 1 minute, until it is pliable and no longer brittle.
1 minStep 3: Crack one of 2 eggs straight onto the sheet, break the yolk and spread the egg over the whole surface with a spatula. Cook until the egg is just set at the edges, about 1 minute, then flip the sheet over so the egg side is down.
2 minStep 4: Cook for 1 minute more, until the egg is fully set and golden. Flip back so the egg is on top and brush with half the sauce.
1 minStep 5: Scatter half of ¼ onion, ⅛ oz coriander and 1 spring onions along one short edge. Roll the sheet up firmly, then cut it into 3 cm pieces with the edge of the spatula.
Step 6: Repeat with the second sheet, using the rest of ½ tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp water, the egg, sauce and filling. Scatter with 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds and eat straight away, from a paper cup with a cocktail stick as they do in Harbin.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kao leng mian (grilled cold noodle sheets) take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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