There is a city located in the Fujian Province of China called Fuzhou, and THAT is where both of my parents are from. You may have thought that I was Cantonese and from Hong Kong, due to the recipes that I’ve shared on my blog, but yes, if you’ve been wondering … I am Fuzhounese! Our cuisine is not popular, BUT it has been made more so in New York City, thanks to a small Fuzhounese mom and pop shop in Manhattan’s Chinatown. I’ve seen many posts on social media, advertising their Fujian Peanut Noodles and Fujianese wontons, which is a great combination by the way! So if you’re ever in New York, please go try some!
Although I’ve been exposed to lots of Cantonese food growing up, my parents made Fujianese food quite often, including the aforementioned wontons and peanut noodles. They made plenty of sticky rice balls and Fujianese noodle soup as well, which I was frequently served after my mother picked me up from school. Boy do I miss those good ol’ days.
INGREDIENTS:
Besides being a super easy and filling dish, what makes this Ban Mian recipe so great is my kids love it and it only requires a handful of ingredients. The sauce is what makes or breaks this entree, and what determines its successfulness is whether the combination of peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce AND PASTA WATER is balanced.
I do like adding a touch of sesame sauce and oyster sauce to accentuate the nutty, sesame flavor and throw in a hint of umami flavor, but those are optional to use. I usually leave out minced garlic and chili oil when I serve ban mian to my kids, but those are wonderful enhancements to the noodles. I highly recommend topping the dish with some chopped scallions and maybe sliced cucumbers if you want to keep things fancy.
TYPE OF NOODLES USED:
I believe Fujian Ban Mian is traditionally served with fresh, homemade noodles. Undoubtedly, those are the best types of noodle to use for, practically any noodle dish. I mean, who wants dry pasta straight out of a box when you can have fresh hand-made ones, right? However, as we’re all aware, the sharing of and continuous exposure to various cultures have played a pivotal role in culinary evolution, resulting in the many “fusion” cuisines of today. For the same reason, I now see ban mian being made with different types of noodles, including ramen!
While I do believe in keeping recipes close to their roots and traditions, I don’t think it is necessary with ban mian. The peanut sauce works with any noodle that doesn’t possess an overpowering taste or texture: spaghetti, rice noodles, egg noodles and wonton noodles have all worked well for me. I do prefer thick, flat wonton noodles though, as demonstrated in my recipe video below. I haven’t tried and can’t foresee it pairing well with soba and udon noodles, but hey, you never know. Let me know if you think otherwise!
As usual, if you’ve tried my recipe, please leave me a comment below, tag me @rackoflam and #rackoflam on social media and/or subscribe to my YouTube channel for more!
Fujian Peanut Noodles (福建拌面 Ban Mian) Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1-2 tsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp regular soy sauce or to taste
- 1 tsp sesame sauce optional
- 2 cloves garlic minced (optional)
FOR THE REST OF THE DISH
- 2 servings thick wonton noodles
- 1 stalk scallion chopped
- chili oil/sauce optional
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, then add thick wonton noodles and cook according to package instructions. (I boiled for 5 minutes)
- While the noodles are cooking, add creamy peanut butter, regular soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and optional sesame sauce and minced garlic into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Add "pasta water" (I use 3-4 tbsp) to the sauce to get it to your desired consistency
- Drain the wonton noodles, then place them onto a large dish. Mix thoroughly with the sauce (adding more pasta water if necessary) until fully incorporated, then top with chopped scallions and optional chili oil/sauce. Enjoy!
