Mixian (noodle)

Mixian (simplified Chinese: 米线; traditional Chinese: 米線; pinyin: mǐxiàn) is a type of rice noodle from the Yunnan Province, China. It is made from ordinary non-glutinous rice, and it is generally sold fresh rather than dried.[1]

Mixian
Mixian noodles served in pork broth with sliced pork, coriander, and chives
TypeChinese noodles
Place of originChina
Region or stateYunnan
Main ingredientsNon-glutinous rice
VariationsGanjiang mixian, suanjiang mixian
Mixian being cooked at a restaurant in Kunming, Yunnan, China

Production

The processing of mixian in Yunnan is unique, involving a fermentation process. In many areas there are at least two distinct thicknesses produced, a thinner form (roughly 1.5 mm or 0.059 inches in diameter) and a thicker form (roughly 3.5–4 mm or 0.14–0.16 inches in diameter).

Serving

Mixian is served in various ways, either in broth or stir-fried.

Stir-fried

Stir-fried preparation is rapid, most common in the evening, and is popular at roadside barbecue-type stands throughout Yunnan. Egg, tomato, meat, spring onion and chilli are frequently utilized.

Broth

Beef mixian and condiments in a restaurant in China. The broth includes chrysanthemum flowers

Condiments vary significantly but may typically include some subset of the following:

Geographical extent

Mixian is popular in Yunnan Province, where it can be found in many streets and villages, and is occasionally available in other mainland Chinese cities. It is generally very difficult to obtain outside of mainland China, probably since the fresh method of preparation could be seen to necessitate a certain minimum volume of consumption in order to be commercially viable. It is relatively similar to noodles consumed in neighbouring Laos (feu) and Vietnam (phở), with the key difference that the base mixian broth is usually heavily personalized by the customer in Yunnanese tradition, and the establishment's own pre-made broth is less adulterated and more significantly appreciated/judged as a key factor in Vietnam (and perhaps to a lesser extent Laos). Dishes like nan gyi thohk and baik kut kyee kaik in various parts of Myanmar are based on a similar dimension of rice noodle but differ broadly in flavour profile (tending more toward flavours in Indian cuisine with ingredients such as chickpea flour) and preparatory method (far greater use of frying). It is more common in unadulterated Yunnanese form in commercial centers of Myanmar with growing Chinese populations, such as Mandalay. Dishes in Thailand such as pad thai also rely on rice noodles, though often they are flat and therefore more similar to Chinese juanfen or Yunnanese migan. A Tibetan broth-based noodle dish using wheat-flour instead of rice-flour noodles, thukpa, is thought to have originated in eastern Tibet (i.e. closer to Yunnan) and is made and enjoyed throughout Bhutan, Northeast India, Nepal, Sikkim and Tibet.

See also

References

  1. Christina, Izzo (3 February 2018). "Move Over, Ramen! Mixian is the New Noodle on the Block". Rachael Ray Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
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