Braised Noodles with Green Beans (Dou Jiao Men Mian)
The northern one-pot wonder: noodles steamed on top of braised pork and beans, absorbing every drop of the sauce.
The story
Men mian means "suffocated noodles" — fresh noodles laid over a braising stew, lid on, so they steam in the sauce instead of boiling. The result is noodles with more flavor per strand than any boiled noodle can dream of.
Ingredients (6 + pantry staples)
- Fresh noodles (thick) — 12 oz / 350 g
- Pork (shoulder), sliced — 8 oz / 225 g
- Green beans — 1 lb / 450 g, snapped
- Soy sauce — 2.5 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce — 1 tsp
- Garlic — 3 cloves, sliced
Pantry staples used (don't count toward the 6): sugar (1 tsp), cooking oil. Not stocked yet? See the pantry page.
Steps
- Brown pork with garlic, 5 minutes. Beans in; fry 3 minutes.
- Soy sauces, sugar and 2 cups / 500 ml water; boil 5 minutes. RESERVE 1 cup of the braising liquid.
- Noodles on top of the beans (not submerged); lid on, 8 minutes. Pour the reserved liquid over, lid, 4 minutes more.
- Toss everything with chopsticks — every strand should be dark and glossy.
Swaps
Add potato chunks or swap pork for beef. A drizzle of sesame oil and raw garlic at the end is the northern finishing move.
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