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Ban mian is a healthy and popular dish in China, Singapore, and Malaysia, consisting of egg noodles in a savory soup with meat or fish, vegetables, and spices. The name refers to the original way of making noodles, and the soup base can be made with fish stock, onions, garlic, ginger, and bean paste. Mushrooms and anchovies are common ingredients, and vegetables and protein can be added. The dish is topped with a cooked egg.
Ban mian is a popular culinary dish in China, Singapore and Malaysia. It consists of egg noodles served in a savory soup, often with some type of meat or fish, vegetables, and various spices. The meal is considered one of the healthiest food choices and can be found for sale from restaurants, street vendors and food stalls in the region. The basis of the whole meal is a soup, so there are numerous variations of ingredients, stocks and pasta shapes. In many cases, the completed soup is topped with an egg that is cooked in the hot liquid over the noodles.
The dish’s name, ban mian, means “edge cutting board” or “block noodles” and refers to the original way of making noodles from dough, which involved tearing off a piece and rolling it out, leaving an irregularly shaped rectangle or square noodle . Most versions of ban mian use egg noodles which are simply a mixture of egg, flour, water and salt that is kneaded and then formed into noodles. Some chefs still tear noodles by hand but, in more commercial settings, they are passed through a regular pasta maker to form wide, rectangular shapes. There are dry versions of ban mian noodles, but many consider fresh noodles to be an essential ingredient in the soup.
The base of the soup can be water but is most often a type of fish stock. Regular fish stock can be used, but anchovy stock is a common choice. Various ingredients, such as onions, garlic, ginger, and bean paste, may also be added to the stock to provide more flavor, though some preparations are so simple that nothing but regular stock is used.
Two common ingredients often found in different versions of ban mian are mushrooms and anchovies. The exact type of each can vary, but they are usually added to the stock base. Mushrooms could be dried and reconstituted in stock, while anchovies could be fried until crisp and then served atop soup. Anchovies can also be added to the stock for flavor and can be broken down during cooking.
Once the base stock is complete, almost anything can be added to complete the ban. This includes vegetables such as green onions, spinach, kale and bamboo shoots. A little vinegar is usually added, sometimes with sugar to balance out the flavour. Restaurants may offer minced pork that has been deep-fried or chunks of white fish to serve as a protein-packed addition to the soup. Finally, an egg is cracked into the hot broth and allowed to cook until the whites are set and the yolk is heated through.
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