Steamed Braised Noodles

Steamed Braised Noodles

Steamed Braised Noodles is a home-style staple dish at difficulty 4/5 (Advanced), about 1563 kcal. This is a classic home-cooked noodle dish from southern Henan. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.

Difficulty

4 / 5

★★★★☆

Advanced
Estimated Calories

1563 kcal

Ingredients

  • Pork belly
  • Celery
  • Fresh noodles (Must be **the thinnest possible**; if unavailable in the local market, please refer to the [braised noodles recipe](https://note.youdao.com/))
  • Scallion, ginger, garlic
  • Cooking oil (Peanut oil is best)
  • Light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, five-spice powder
  • Steamer (with bamboo/rice steamer tray included)
  • Wok (or frying pan)
  • Optional ingredients for students with basic cooking skills or those who want to challenge themselves:
  • Sichuan peppercorns
  • Dried red chilies
  • Green bell peppers

Steps

  1. ### Preparation
  2. Skin the pork and cut it into `2 cm * 6 cm * 0.5 cm` thin slices. Set aside.
  3. Remove leaves from celery, cut off the roots (2cm), then cut in half crosswise, and slice into 2cm pieces. Set aside.
  4. Peel the garlic and cut into granules. Slice the scallion into 0.2cm slices. Slice the ginger into thin shreds. Set aside.
  5. ### Pre-cooking (Sauce Preparation)
  6. Heat the wok until smoke rises. Pour in 3ml of cooking oil to coat the pan and pour out the excess base oil.
  7. Add cooking oil back into the wok. Add pork slices, scallion, ginger, garlic, and dried red chilies. Stir-fry for 1 minute, ensuring constant, even stirring.
  8. Add cooking wine, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Stir-fry for another 1 minute.
  9. Pour in 500ml of hot water. Cover the wok and simmer for 3 minutes.
  10. Add the celery and green peppers to the pot. Season with salt and five-spice powder. Cover the wok and continue to simmer for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat.
  11. Add 1000ml of water to the steamer. Once boiling and steam is rising, lay the noodles flat on the steamer tray and place in the steamer to steam for 15 minutes.
  12. After the noodles are cooked, remove them. Separate and loosen the noodles on the cutting board using chopsticks (and your 'heartless hand'). Let them cool at room temperature.
  13. ### Final Cooking
  14. Place the noodles back into the wok with the sauce. Stir. Use one hand with chopsticks and the other with a spatula to toss the vegetables over the noodles until the noodles are fully coated evenly.
  15. Place the mixed noodles back onto the steamer tray and steam for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Notes

This is a classic home-cooked noodle dish from southern Henan. It matches meat and vegetables, allowing the noodles to soak up the rich broth. The texture is soft and chewy, with a savory flavor. The pork belly provides high-quality protein and fat, while celery is rich in dietary fiber. The method is simple and easy to learn; even beginners can handle it with confidence. The overall process takes about an hour.

Estimated Difficulty: ★★★★
Estimated Calories: 1563 kcal

Calculations:
Determine how many portions you plan to make before starting. One portion serves exactly 2 people.

- Celery: 2 medium-sized stalks
- Pork belly: 350g
- Noodles: 500g
- Large scallion: 10cm
- Garlic: 5 cloves
- Ginger slices: 20g
- Green bell pepper: 2 pieces
- Dried red chilies: 3 pieces
- Sichuan peppercorns: 20 grains
- Salt: 10g
- Five-spice powder: 5g
- Light soy sauce: 15ml
- Dark soy sauce: 10ml

- Technical Summary
- When cutting the pork, you can ask the meat stall vendor for help. Based on experience, the success rate is highest if you request it before payment but after cutting is complete.
- If it's your first time cooking, prepare all ingredients in advance to avoid panic. Once skilled, you can execute steps concurrently.
- Whenever steaming the noodles, try to spread them as evenly as possible to avoid the noodles sticking into a lump after steaming. If the noodles are too long, break them off; this makes stirring and serving easier.
- Try to be gentle when removing the steamed noodles to avoid flipping the steamer tray and letting the noodles touch the water.
- Beer goes perfectly with this dish as a drink!

If you find any issues or areas for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull Request.

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