Method
- Marinate pork in Shaoxing, light soy and cornstarch for 10 minutes.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pot over medium-high. Stir-fry garlic and ginger 60 seconds. Add the marinated pork; stir-fry 3 minutes until just cooked.
- Add lily flower, wood ear, bamboo shoots and shredded cabbage; stir 2 minutes.
- Pour in chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar and white pepper. Simmer 8 minutes.
- Whisk the cornstarch slurry; stream into the simmering broth while stirring. The soup thickens into a glossy, silky gravy in 90 seconds.
- With the broth at a gentle simmer, drizzle in beaten eggs in a thin stream over the back of a spoon. The eggs set into delicate ribbons. Off the heat, drizzle sesame oil. Cook noodles separately; pile in deep bowls. Ladle the gravy over generously. Top with spring onion and cilantro. Serve with chili oil on the side.
Common questions
Can Da Lu Mian be made ahead?
Da Lu Mian is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 25 minutes.
Is Da Lu Mian spicy?
Da Lu Mian as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Da Lu Mian vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe contains gluten via the soy sauce and/or noodles. To make it gluten-free, substitute tamari for soy sauce.
How hard is Da Lu Mian to make at home?
Da Lu Mian is approachable for a home cook with basic stove skills — total time about 40 minutes, no special technique required.
Can Da Lu Mian be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Da lu mian is a Taiwanese-Mandarin noodle dish brought from northeast China by KMT veterans. The 'da lu' (literally 'big stew' or 'great gravy') refers to the cornstarch-thickened gravy that's the dish's signature — it sits between a clear noodle soup and a stir-fry sauce. The dish is sold at Taipei mom-and-pop noodle shops as cheap, filling, weeknight food. The lily flower and wood ear are unusual ingredients to outsiders but are widely available in Taiwanese pantries; together they give the broth its distinctive woodsy-floral note.
