Green bean noodles is a classic homestyle Northern Chinese dish that is treasured by home cooks in China. It’s very hearty, satisfying to eat, and quite easy to put together. It’s one of those things that you seldom see in restaurants overseas, but you’re missing out if you don’t try it out!
What is green bean noodles
Green bean noodles, or Dou Jiao Men Mian (豆角焖面), features chewy noodles steamed in a large pan with succulent pork and green beans and seasoned with a soy sauce based sauce. The dish uses the cooking technique “Men (焖)”. “Men” can be loosely translated as “steamed in broth”. It is a different process from making chow mein or lo mein noodles, where you stir fry boiled noodles with other ingredients and a sauce. Traditionally, green bean noodles are made with fresh handmade noodles. They could be freshly made hand rolled noodles, or freshly made hand pulled noodles. When using freshly made noodles, the fresh unboiled noodles are added to the wok with green beans and pork along with the broth. Then you cover the wok to steam the noodles. At the end, the broth will be fully absorbed and the noodles cooked. The noodles will have a chewier texture and a rich flavor. It is quite like the concept of one-pot pasta, where you put the uncooked pasta in the sauce with everything else and cook it together. Of course it’s not very practical for home cooks to make noodles from scratch every time. That’s why the more common green bean noodles recipe only calls for store-bought noodles.
Green bean noodles ingredients
What type of noodles to use
The best noodles for green bean noodles are the store-bought fresh noodles. They are semi dried noodles that are sold refrigerated. I like to use medium or thick round-shaped wheat noodles for this dish, so they have a chewy texture and rich mouthfeel. In my recipe, I used the Lanzhou noodles by Havista, which are medium-thick wheat noodles. You can use this type of noodles or the ones that are slightly thicker. But avoid using wide noodles such as the Shanxi Planed variety. If using fresh noodles, it’s best to steam them before adding them to the broth for the best texture.
No fresh noodles? No worries!
But if dried noodles are all you can find, that’s totally OK too. Just make sure that you undercook the noodles, usually 2 minutes less than the package recommends. And drain them very thoroughly. So they will have a good texture once cooked with the broth. I love these Alkaline Wheat Noodles from the Mala Market because they retain a great chewy texture once cooked.
What protein to use
Traditional green bean noodles use sliced pork belly. The key is to cook the pork belly over low heat to release the pork fat, which will infuse its fragrance and flavor into the noodles. It’s a budget-friendly way to make a delicious and filling dish. I prefer to use ground pork in this dish due to personal preference. Since pork belly is too greasy for me to use in everyday cooking, I’ve found ground pork is the best replacement. It is easy to cook with and does not require marinating. It also releases a good amount of fat to make the noodles extra fragrant. Once cooked, it’s much less greasy than pork belly. Alternatively, you can use ground beef or ground chicken (dark meat ground). If you want to use sliced chicken or sliced beef, you should marinate it first to prevent it from getting too tough.
Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
Ingredients for the sauce: chicken broth, soy sauce (light and dark), sugar, and sesame oil Chopped aromatics: ginger, garlic, dried chili pepper, star anise, green onion Noodles Meat, marinated as needed Green beans
How to make green bean noodles
Cook the noodles
For an extra chewy texture, it’s best to steam the noodles (only if you use fresh noodles). The steaming time largely depends on the type of noodles you use. But don’t worry if you slightly undercook or overcook the noodles here. The recipe is very forgiving and you can always adjust the doneness later.
Put everything together
Once cooked, the noodles will be chewy and have soaked up the sauce. Accompanied with the pork and tender green beans, it is a super hearty and satisfying main dish.
Other delicious noodle recipes
Vegetable Pan Fried Noodles Chicken Lo Mein (Restaurant Style Without A Wok) Singapore Noodles (星洲炒米粉, Singapore Mei Fun) Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad (鸡丝凉面) Zha Jiang Mian (Old Beijing Fried Sauce Noodle, 炸酱面)
