Biǎndòu mèn miàn (扁豆焖面), or steamed noodles and green beans, is a delicious noodle dish that you’ll only find on family tables rather than restaurants. Steaming the noodles makes them extra chewy!
Note: This recipe was originally published in July 2015. We have since updated it with clearer photos, metric measurements, and nutrition information. The recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
A TREASURED RECIPE FROM ANOTHER FAMILY
We learned this recipe from our ayi in Beijing. Remember her? She helped us make Chinese peanut brittle on the blog also.
She’d see us cooking and blogging on the weekends, and suggested we post this dish, which was a favorite that she’d make for her family often. She showed us how it was done, and we all agreed that it was a huge winner.
Biǎndòu mèn miàn loosely translates to “green bean noodles cooked in a covered pot.” It’s a mouthful, I know.
But I can assure you of one thing, and it’s that you aren’t likely to find this steamed noodles and green beans dish in restaurants. I have yet to see it on a menu anywhere—even in China.
What Makes This Recipe Special
So what’s so great about a recipe of noodles with green beans, you might ask…
Well first of all, it is super easy and very straightforward.
Secondly, the dish is made by steaming fresh noodles, yielding a delightfully chewy, “al dente” texture. The noodles are cooked with a great sauce, along with green beans and seared pork.
Of course, timing is everything, and with the abundance of green beans from my garden, I feel the time has come to share this great recipe with everyone. We have shown you how to make 焖饭(“men fan”) using a rice cooker, and with today’s 焖面(men mian), your kitchen will never be the same again.
Feel free to adjust the recipe to your own tastes, but remember one thing—fresh noodles are necessary for this dish!
Recipe Instructions
Start by mixing the meat with the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, white pepper). Set aside for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the components.
Prepare a steamer, making sure no water will touch the noodles during the steaming process. See our post on how to set up a steamer if you’re not familiar with steaming foods in Chinese cooking.
Place a large sheet of parchment paper on the steaming rack, and loosely pile the fresh white (wheat) noodles on the parchment paper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, tossing the noodles lightly in the oil.
Steam for 10 to 12 minutes over high heat (this cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your noodles). Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat another 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and star anise, and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the garlic, dried red chilies (if using) and scallions, and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the pork…
…and turn up the heat to high. Stir-fry until the pork is opaque.
Then spread the pork out in a single layer on the wok’s surface to brown the meat (30 seconds to a minute).
Stir in the green beans and cook for a couple minutes.
Add the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and sugar. Stir everything together and add water. Place the steamed noodles on top of this mixture (do not stir), and cover lid. Cook for 5 minutes.
Uncover the wok; you’ll see that the liquid in the wok has reduced slightly. Turn down the heat, and mix everything together to coat the noodles with sauce.
The sauce should be soaked into the noodles very quickly. Serve your Bian Dou Men Mian immediately.
This dish is very unique and equally delicious!
Steamed Noodles with Green Beans (扁豆焖面)
Ingredients
For marinating the pork:
- 8 ounces pork belly (can substitute boneless pork shoulder or chicken thighs)
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 pound fresh white noodles
- 3 tablespoons oil (divided)
- 3 slices ginger (julienned)
- 3 star anise
- 5 cloves garlic (coarsely chopped)
- 3 dried red chilies (coarsely chopped, optional)
- 2 scallions (chopped)
- 1 pound green beans (trimmed and cut in half)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Start by mixing the meat with the marinade ingredients and set aside for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the components. Prepare a steamer, making sure no water will touch the noodles during the steaming process.
- Place a large sheet of parchment paper on the steaming rack, and loosely pile the noodles on the parchment paper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, tossing the noodles lightly in the oil. Steam for 10 to 12 minutes over high heat (this cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your noodles). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat another 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and star anise, and cook for 30 seconds. Add the garlic, chilies (if using) and scallions, and stir-fry for one minute. Now add the pork and increase the heat to high. Stir-fry until the pork is opaque. Then spread the pork out in a single layer on the wok’s surface to brown the meat (30 seconds to a minute).
- Stir in the green beans and cook for a couple minutes. Add the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and sugar. Stir everything together and add water. Place the steamed noodles on top of this mixture (do not stir), and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Uncover the wok. You’ll see that the liquid in the wok has reduced slightly. Turn down the heat, and mix everything together to coat the noodles with sauce. The sauce should be soaked into the noodles very quickly. Serve immediately.
Very satisfying…especially the next day!
Nice! Thank you for cooking our recipe.
My mom and I have been making this forever! You don’t need fresh noodles. Pre cooked noodles that are a little undercooked worked exactly the same.
Nice! Glad that you and your mother are enjoying this recipe.
I made this last night…SO good! I love the chewy texture of the noodles but found the recipe a little too salty, so I’ll cut back on the soy sauce next time. But hooray for non-mushy noodles!
If I were to use Napa cabbage instead of the beans, would I cook it the same way? Also, I noticed the recipe called for “eating immediately”; does this mean I shouldn’t make ahead and reheat?
Thanks!
Hi Sharon, you can cook the same way if using napa cabbage, but just know that napa cabbage produces a lot of liquid, so adjust the liquid as needed to avoid it turning into a noodle soup :-) Also, this dish is not as good as a leftover (but still tasty) as the noodle will turn too soft and mushy like the overnight spaghetti.