Hot dry noodles, also known as reganmian, is a traditional dish of Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province in central China. Hot Dry Noodles has a history in Chinese food culture for 80 years, and it is unique because the noodles are not in a broth like most other Asian-style hot noodle dishes. It is the most significant, famous and popular breakfast food in Wuhan, often sold in street carts and restaurants in residential and business areas. Breakfasts such as hot dry noodles are available from as early as 5 am, and usually appear at Wuhan's night markets as a late-night snack. These noodle can be prepared within minutes and are affordable, so they are also a popular breakfast choice. Hot dry noodles restaurants are all over the city. Typical hot dry noodles contain soy sauce, sesame paste, pickled vegetables, chopped garlic chives and chili oil. Hot dry noodles, along with Shanxi's knife-cut noodles, Liangguang's yifumian, Sichuan's dandanmian, and northern China's zhajiangmian, are collectively referred to "Top five noodles of China" by People's Daily, and in a 2013 article titled "China's Top 10 famous noodles" Business Insider reported that CNTV rated reganmian the top Chinese noodle dish. The specifics of the preparation of hot dry noodles is discussed in Wuhan author Chi Li's novel '热也好冷也好活着就好'.
Cooking method
The recipe for hot dry noodles is different from cold noodles and noodles in soup. Both Wuhan and Szechuan cuisine make extensive use of chilies to cleanse the palate and cope with the humid climate. The chef will cook the fresh noodles mixed with sesame oil in boiling water. When the noodles get cooked and cooled down, they become pliable. Before eating, the noodles will be cooked in the same process again. Finally, dressings including spring onion and sauce will be added. While preparing hot dry noodles, the noodles are placed into a Chinese strainer and dipped briefly into boiling water and then swirled and drained. The noodles will be poured into a paper bowl and the sauce and pickled vegetables will be poured on the top of the noodles. Chili oil is usually used in the seasoning of hot dry noodles as well as a bit of fresh coriander.
Origin
The summer time in Wuhan is extremely long, and the high temperature causes food's rapid deterioration. As a result, people added dietary alkali into noodles to avoid deterioration, that is the predecessor of hot dry noodles. A widely circulated rumor is, in the early 1930s, there was a small food standoperated byBao Li, a hawker who made a living by selling bean noodles and noodle soups near a temple in Hankou. One day, Li poured sesame oil onto his noodles accidentally, and he boiled those noodles then added shallot and other condiments on the next day and sold them on next morning. His noodles became very popular because of its unique taste, and customers asked Bao Li what kind of noodle it is, Bao Li answered: Hot dry noodles.
Variety
During the development and spread of the making technique, people in Xinyang, a city in Henan Province, formed their own special way to make hot dry noodles and it became a branch of hot dry noodles eventually.
