"Little Pot" Rice Noodles from Yunnan (小锅米线)
A classic dish from Yunnan, we wanted to teach you how to make the real deal Kunming version... together with a 'western supermarket club' version for ease of international replication.
This video contains two styles of Xiaoguo Mixian: a classic version from Kunming, and another ‘Western supermarket friendly’ version as well.
For the Kunming style, we will prepare two spice powders and three substitutes in advance. Click here to jump to the Western Supermarket style.
Our recommendation would be to scale each component up, so we've given the quantities 'per serving'. So if you're planning on making four bowls, multiply everything by four; ten, by ten.
Substitutes/Spices to Prepare in Advance for the Kunming Style
Spice Powders:
Star Anise (八角), ~1 per serving
Tsaoko, a.k.a. Chinese black cardamom (草果), ~1 per serving
Peel the Tsaoko and discard the pit. Toast the two spices over a medium low flame for 3-5 minutes, or until the Tsaoko begins to ever so slightly brown.
Grind each - separately! - into a powder. Reserve.
Suanyancai substitute:
Suancai 'sour mustard' (酸菜), 40g per serving
Dark brown sugar, 1/2 tsp per serving
Star anise powder from above, 1/4 tsp per serving
Tsaoko powder from above, 1/4 tsp per serving
Medium low flame in a bit of oil, melt the sugar into the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Fry for ~3 minutes, until the suancai deepens in color.
Zhaotong Chili Paste substitute:
Pixian doubanjiang, Sichuan chili bean paste (郫县豆瓣酱), 1 tsp per serving
Mianchi, Cantonese ground bean paste (面豉/原晒), 2 tsp per serving
Red, fragrant chili powder (e.g. 秦椒, Kashmiri, Gochugaru), 1/4 tsp per serving
Star anise powder from above, 1/4 tsp per serving
Tsaoko powder from above, 1/4 tsp per serving
Sichuan peppercorn powder, 1/8 tsp per serving
Pound the two bean pastes until fine. In a bit of oil over a low flame, add all the ingredients and fry for ~5 minutes, or until the oil is stained obviously red.
Tuodong Sweet Soy Sauce substitute:
Dark soy sauce (老抽), 1/4 tsp per serving
Soy sauce (生抽), ½ tsp per serving
Molasses, ¾ tsp per serving
Mix.
Kunming Style Little Pot Rice Noodles
Ingredients:
Dried rice noodles, preferably Yunnanese Mixian (米线) or Jiangxi rice noodles (江西米粉), 125g per serving
Chinese chives (韭菜), 30g per serving. Chopped into 1 inch pieces
Minced pork, 60g per serving
Marinade for the pork:
Salt, 1/8 tsp
Sugar, 1/8 tsp
Cornstarch (生粉), ½ tsp
White pepper, sprinkle, ~1/16 tsp
Soy sauce (生抽), ¼ tsp
Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), ½ tsp
Chinese pork stock, preferably -or- chicken stock -or- water, 2.25 cups
Lard, 1 tsp
Zhaotong chili sauce sub from above, 1 tbsp
Suanyancai sub, ¼ cup
Tuodong sweet soy sauce sub, ½ tbsp
Bean sprouts or your veg of choice, ~30g
Seasoning for the soup:
Salt, 1/8 tsp
Chicken bouillon (鸡粉), 1/8 tsp
MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp
White pepper, 1/8 tsp
Dark Chinese vinegar (香醋/陈醋), ¼ tsp
Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, 2 tbsp
Process:
Soak the rice noodles in cool water for at least four hours and up to overnight. Par boil for ~45 seconds, or until al dente. These can keep 1-2 days in the fridge.
Chop up the chinese chives into ~1 nch pieces. Marinate your pork.
To make the soup, first bring the stock (or water) up to a heavy simmer and drizzle in the lard. Add in the marinated pork bit by bit, forming little ~1/2 tbsp ‘meat cakes’ against the side of your bowl before tossing them in.
Add in the Zhaotong chili sauce substitute, the Suanyancai substitute, and the Tuodong sweet soy sauce substitute. Bring up to a rapid boil.
Add in the chopped Chinese chives, the bean sprouts, and the par-boiled noodles. Mix, then add in the seasoning. Boil together for ~30 seconds.
Shut off the heat, top with the Lao Gan Ma chili crisp.
Western Supermarket Style
Ingredients:
Dried rice noodles, 125g per serving
Minced pork, 60g per serving
Marinade for the pork:
Salt, 1/8 tsp
Sugar, 1/8 tsp
Cornstarch (生粉), ½ tsp
White pepper, sprinkle, ~1/16 tsp
Soy sauce (生抽), ¼ tsp
Wine – white, sherry, bourbon, Shaoxing, whatever – ½ tsp
Pork stock, preferably or chicken stock or water, 2 cups. If buying western stock, make sure it isn’t heavily seasoned with western herbs like thyme or rosemary.
Lard, 1 tsp. Skip if you have to.
Japanese Miso Paste, 1 tbsp
Sauerkraut, 40g. Minced
Soy sauce, 2 tsp
Molasses, 1 tsp
Bean sprouts or your veg of choice, ~30g
Seasoning for the soup:
Salt, 1/8 tsp
Sugar, 1/8 tsp
Chicken bouillon (鸡粉), 1/8 tsp
MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp
White pepper, 1/8 tsp
Scallion, ~20g. Sliced.
Cilantro, ~20g. Chopped.
Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, 2 tbsp
Process:
Soak the rice noodles in cool water for at least four hours and up to overnight. Par boil for ~45 seconds, or until al dente. These can keep 1-2 days in the fridge.
Marinate your pork.
To make the soup, first bring the stock (or water) up to a heavy simmer and drizzle in the lard. Add the miso paste, ensuring that it’s good and dissolved (you can also strain it in in the Japanese style to ensure even mixing). Add the minced sauerkraut.
Add in the marinated pork bit by bit, forming little ~1/2 tbsp ‘meat cakes’ against the side of your bowl before tossing them in.
Add in the soy sauce and the molasses and get up to a rapid boil. Add in the bean sprouts and the par-boiled rice noodles. Mix, then add in the seasoning. Boil together for ~30 seconds. Mix in the chopped scallion and cilantro.
Shut off the heat, top with the Lao Gan Ma chili crisp.