Red Braised Chitterling Noodles

Hong Shao Feichang Mian (红烧肥肠面)

Tender braised chitterlings top fresh noodles in a savory, rich soup along with blanched sword lettuce and a generous handful of chopped cilantro.

Red Braised Chitterling Noodles are sometimes known simply as Chitterling Noodles (肥肠面) as they are the standard version at noodle shops. Because of the skill and labor required for correctly preparing Chitterlings, not every noodle restaurant offers them and among the restaurants that serve them a small percentage prepare the Chitterlings poorly. For my wife, who absolutely loves these Noodles, finding a good bowl of Chitterling Noodles outside of Sichuan has proven to be difficult. Thankfully, we managed to adapt this recipe for the home kitchen based on the style served in her hometown.

Keep in mind, Soup Noodles rely on good preparation and planning. There are no ‘difficult’ steps when it comes to preparing an incredible bowl of Noodles. BUT it does require a lot of time. Advanced Stock (高汤) will take roughly seven to eight hours to prepare and the Red Braised Chitterlings will require approximately four hours. I recommend preparing first the Advanced Stock up to the point it is ready for a long simmer and then starting on the Chitterlings. Ideally, you should prepare both of these on the same day and then the following day, make the Noodles. Advanced Stock can also be prepared well in advance and frozen so that it can be easily thawed and reheated on noodle day. This will allow you to focus simply on preparing the Red Braised Chitterlings.

At some noodle shops, the Advanced Stock is added directly to the Red Braised Chitterlings once they have finished cooking. You can do this at home as well, though I recommend keeping the Stock and the Red Braised Chitterlings separate until adding them to the bowl. This will give you full control over the ratio of soup and red braising sauce and allow you to adjust the amounts to fit your preferred tastes. Also, you may need to adjust the amount of Stock based on the size of your bowls as well as increase or decrease the Salty-Umami Base depending on preference. All of this is to say that Soup Noodles are adaptable and one of the best aspects of making them at home is being able to customize them, creating your own unique version of a classic dish. My final recommendation is don’t skip the Condiments. Vinegar and Chili Oil are essentials when it comes to Red Braised Chitterling Noodles. The intense sour and spicy flavors enhance every aspect of the experience. Pair this bowl of noodles with your favorite beer for the perfect combination.

Prep Time: 5 min.

Cook Time: 10 min.

Total Time: 15 min.

Serving: 2 people

Ingredients

1 heaping cup of Red Braised Chitterlings with 1 cup of its Sauce (1/2 cup of each per bowl)

4 cups of Advanced Stock: Pork Bone Broth (高汤:骨头汤) (2 cups per Bowl)

Salty-Umami Base (Per Bowl)
1 tsp. Light Soy Sauce
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. MSG
1/4 tsp. Chicken Bouillon Powder
1/8 tsp. White Pepper

1 bunch of Sword Lettuce (油麦菜)

Garnishes (Per Bowl)
1 green stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)
1 small bunch of Cilantro

400 grams of fresh alkaline Noodles (Such as Ramen 拉面 OR Gua-Mian 挂面; 200 g. per Bowl)

Condiments (Per Bowl; All are Optional)
1 Tbsp. Chinkiang Black Vinegar (To Taste)
1 Tbsp. Oil Chili Flakes 油辣子 OR 1 Tbsp. Chili Oil with Chili Flakes

Directions

1.) Preferably the day before or the morning of cooking the Noodles, prepare the Red Braised Chitterlings, as this will take a few hours. On the day of making the Noodles, keep the Red Braised Chitterlings warm while preparing the other ingredients.

2.) Pour the Pork Bone Broth into a pot, place it on a back burner, and allow it to heat up and simmer while preparing the other ingredients.

3.) Add the Salty-Umami Base (Soy Sauce, Salt, MSG, Chicken Bouillon, and White Pepper) to each large noodle bowl.

4.) Wash the Sword Lettuce, remove the leaves from the stalk, and then cut the leaves in half crosswise into roughly 4-inch to 6-inch-long pieces. Set these pieces aside in a bowl for later.

(Nearly any leafy green vegetable can be used here, so choose your favorite and prepare it for boiling).

5.) Prepare the Garnishes by cutting the Scallion into 1/4-inch pieces and roughly chopping the Cilantro. Set them aside in a bowl or on a small plate.

6.) Fill a large pot with about 3 Liters of Water and heat it on high until boiling. Add the Sword Lettuce leaves and blanch them for about 45 seconds until the stems have just softened. Remove them with a wire strainer and set aside them aside in an empty bowl for later.

(Do Not add the Sword Lettuce to the noodle bowl at this point. The Sword Lettuce can also be cooked along with the Noodles, but I prefer to cook them first so that I have more control over the doneness of both the vegetables and Noodles).

7.) Add one serving of Noodles to the boiling water and cook them until they’re about 90% to 95% done. Remove the Noodles with a wire strainer and place them in one of the noodle bowls. Repeat with the next serving of Noodles.

(DO NOT fully cook the Noodles! The Noodles will continue to cook even after they’re removed from the boiling water. They will also continue to cook after the hot soup is added. If your timing is good, there is no need to rinse the Noodles in cold water to stop the cooking process. The Noodles can be added directly to the bowl because the hot soup will be added soon afterwards. However, if you are worried about the timing or you are cooking dried Noodles, you can rinse the first batch of cooked Noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process. This will prevent the first batch of Noodles from sticking together in a large clump while the other Noodles are cooking. If you are skilled at separating Noodles into equal servings, you can also cook both servings of Noodles at the same time).

8.) Pour a hearty amount (about 2 cups) of Pork Bone Broth over the Noodles and quickly top them with 1/2 cup of the Red Braised Chitterlings along with plenty of its sauce. Lay the Sword Lettuce leaves along one side of the bowl on top of the Noodles.

9.) Add the Garnishes to the Noodles along with any other Noodles Toppings. Serve the bowls of incredible Red Braised Chitterling Noodles immediately along with Condiments such as Black Vinegar and Oil Chili Flakes.

 

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