Spiced Brine Cold Noodles

Spiced Brine Cold Noodles

　　Spiced Brine Cold Noodles refer to a dish where cold noodles are served in a savory spiced broth. This unique snack from Shaanxi Province is said to have originated in Chang’an County. During the hot summer months, coinciding with the busy farming season, farmers had little time to cook. Hot meals took too long to eat, so they would make a pot of spiced broth, slice some cold noodles, add convenient seasonings, soak some flatbread in it, and quickly gulp it all down. A quick and satisfying meal, refreshingly tasty and incredibly comforting — this eventually evolved into a distinctive regional specialty.

　　To make the cold noodles, high-quality rice or mung beans are used. In the Guanzhong countryside, mung beans are the preferred choice. Select plump, mold-free beans, soak them in hot (not boiling) water until softened, then cover them with cold water and let them soak for about seven to eight hours. Next, grind the beans into a paste using a small stone mill, pour the mixture into a basin to settle, then skim off the water. Add more water, stir well, and let it settle again. After repeating this skimming process three or four times, pour the mixture into a fine sieve, rinse with water, and press out the residue. This process of rinsing and settling should be repeated several times until the wet starch is formed (nowadays, machines are mostly used for this step). Mix the starch with cold water and alum until it becomes a sticky paste. Then, boil water in a large pot — not too much, as too much water will prevent the mixture from setting properly. Once the water boils, slowly pour the starch mixture along the edge of the pot while stirring vigorously. When the starch is fully cooked, reduce the heat to low and continue stirring at the bottom with a spoon for a while before turning off the heat and removing the pot. The cold noodles are now ready. Pour them into a clean basin to cool and set naturally, forming a gel-like consistency similar to jelly. Then turn the mass out onto a cutting board — the white version looks like smooth cream, the green one resembles beautiful jade, both visually appealing. Though it appears soft and misty, it is actually firm and elastic.

　　To make the spiced brine broth, bring water to a boil, then stir in a pre-mixed and diluted starch slurry to create a slightly thickened, glossy consistency. Once it’s lightly boiling, evenly pour in beaten eggs while stirring, then add a pinch of salt before removing from the heat. This creates the spiced brine used in Spiced Brine Cold Noodles.