Hot dry noodles

Hot dry noodles, or re gan mian, are a Wuhan noodle dish dressed with sesame paste and seasonings. Judy Leung recalls eating them during her childhood in Hubei and describes them as a breakfast food there. Her recipe uses alkaline noodles, whose firm texture remains noticeable after mixing with the thick sauce. The noodles are boiled and drained rather than served in a bowl of soup.^[1]

She blends sesame paste with sesame oil, light and dark soy sauces and sugar, adding warm water if needed to loosen it. Her topping includes chopped preserved mustard stems, pickled long beans, garlic, chilli oil, coriander, spring onions and black vinegar. The cooked noodles are tossed with sesame oil before the sauce and toppings are mixed in, then served hot. She also describes a restaurant method that cools partly cooked noodles before briefly reheating them for serving.^[1]