Sichuan 'Sweet Water' Noodles (甜水面)

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Hey guys, a few notes: 1. Like all snack-y street food dishes, this one was a little difficult to conceptualize the portioning. Like, do you design the recipe around the amount that you would get on the street, or what you would theoretically do if you wanted to serve it as the main in a meal. We opt for the amount that you’d get on the street - which from a super back-of-the-envelope calculation, is like… less than 400 calories sort of size. So, a snack. Double up on your bowl for a meal. 2. Further, these sorts of noodle snacks can be a little awkward, because vendors tend to have these big batches of pre-prepared components: chili oil, sweet water soy sauce, etc etc. So the essence would be to make a big batch of pretty much everything, keep it in your fridge, and mix on the spot whenever you feel like a noodle. Perfect for the ‘meal preppers’ out there, but a little awkward to communicate in recipe form. 3. In the end, we settled on a quantity that would make four snack-sized servings EXCEPT the sweet water soy sauce, which makes twelve (it’s just a little awkward to call for, I dunno, “1/3 of a cardamom”). Feel free to scale up or down accordingly. 4. Everything keeps well except the garlic water and fresh noodles (obviously). The sweet water soy sauce will keep a couple months in the fridge. A smart move might be to make larger batches of everything… and have it around for a snack: even if you don’t feel like whipping up a fresh noodle, you could use some packaged Udon or [whatever noodle you have on hand]. 5. As an aside, the things I currently do differently with the chili oil from our original recipe six years ago: (1) de-seed in a smart/non-obsessive way instead of a stupid/obsessive way (2) going way heavier on the aromatics and (3) straining at the point of use if needed, rather than after making (sort of a cringey move looking back?). These days I also *personally* like to fry the chilis instead of toasting them (ala Shaanxi style chili oil), feels like it keeps the color a little more vibrant if working from less-than-fresh dried chilis. We do want to re-do the recipe - it will happen in the course of the next few months, but it’ll probably be in the context of a more ambitious video :) 6. It should be noted that while these are a Chengdu classic, they’re also a bit of an old-school dish. Someone on our Discord noted that it’s felt like they’ve seen a lot of recipes and food travel vlogger context as of late on the topic (ha, sorry to add to the pile!), and was wondering what made them so popular in Chengdu. In the grand scheme of things, these tend to be served at shops that specialize in them, and would *not* be an everyday sort of thing in Chengdu in 2023. 7. As with before, the full written recipe is over on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/chinesecookingdemystified/p/chengdu-sweet-water-noodles That’s all I can think of for now. Might edit some more in in a bit :)

[@brizz5028]

FYI Description says 100g of water so I just made a 2to1 dough. Re watched the video and realized it should say 100ml.

[@arushigupta4235]

I love these notes sm- it's like an extra treat

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

@@brizz50281g water = 1mL water :)

[@brizz5028]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified XD Thanks My brain immediately went to volume and it's weight for a reason. FYI had the noodles tonight in a typical US stir fry and everyone loved it.

[@killianmotto2684]

How would you keep fresh noodles? Cooked, frozen ? In the fridge.

[@KeCzajkowski]

My favorite noodles are the ones currently in my mouth at any given point in time.

[@mikehernandez6383]

I wanted to like your comment i just didn’t wanna be the one to change the likes from 69 to 70. Just thought Id let you know.

[@KeCzajkowski]

good looking out homie.@@mikehernandez6383

[@dumbino7745]

A true free spirit living in the moment

[@ratoh1710]

Udon will definitely be an easy substitute for these because the homemade noodles were literally the exact same as homemade udon noodles. Also to cut the noodles easier you can fold the finished dough sheet a few times and you can just cut it with a knife without having to worry about a ruler. Just make sure to dust the noodles lightly with flour so it doesn't stick to itself.

[@mr.creepysmile7318]

Good tip thank you

[@ididntknowtheyhadwifiinhell]

the instant/packaged versions always come with udon noodles

[@KaterinaDeAnnika]

See they’re thicker than udon, and handmade def tastes diff than udon. I’ve been looking for a noodle and dough that’s got chew and thickness but wasn’t udon. Hence my choice of this recipe. Def better for my preference 🤷‍♀️

[@dewinmoonl]

hell yeah! as a chengdu native I love this dish and it finally got featured here :D low budget version that I make: use store bought frozen udon noodles. the sweet soysauce can be simply microwaved instead of in a pot -- it won't be thick, so sesame paste (hell, peanut butter even) can be used to thicken it.

[@nenben8759]

I love both ends of the thickness spectrum and i just Like The middle.

[@joejackson6161]

I'm dying to try this. Love the recipes and videos. It would be a great help as a mandarin learner if you included the Pinyin of the characters of the recipes especially for the more particular ingredients that we may need to source from asian groceries. Looking forward to the next video

[@95_Nepentheses]

We just finished eating ours. DO IT. IT'S SO GOOD

[@RuiEspinha]

+1 for the Pinyin idea, I would also like to learn some more vocabulary with the video!

[@NovaNocturneArt]

Ahhhhhhhhh! I've been pestering chinese cooking channels for ages in the hopes one of them might make a tianshuimian recipe video! I'M SO EXCITED! I have missed this dish for YEARS ever since I had it outside the Wenshu Monastery in Sichuan!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

I believe the one outside of Wenshuyuan got sesame paste as well, so if you love that taste, remember to add about 1/2 tsp Chinese toasted sesame paste to your mix as well. You can dilute the paste with the sesame oil.

[@NovaNocturneArt]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Ooh thank you so much for the advice! I can't wait to give it a try!

[@sugaredviolets2085]

YAY! I’m so excited you covered Tianshui Mian! I LOVE this dish and am super excited you have a recipe for it! ❤ From Canada 🇨🇦

[@omoliemi]

literally my favorite noodles ever im so happy you covered this

[@95_Nepentheses]

We just finished devouring ours! This recipe is a keeper for sure, and it was a perfect use for the small crop of sichuan peppercorns just harvested from my young shrub.

[@endel12]

AHHHHHHH IM SO EXCITED YOU DID THIS RECIPE! I visited Chengdu in 2009 and this snack outside the Muslim Temple absolutely blew me away

[@MarkLong-h5e]

Love me some thick noodles! Keep it up guys, amazing content

[@user-td3mf9zy2k]

sloppy n thicc

[@u-sintiau8824]

luv me thick noodles, 'ate thin noodles, simple as

[@pmchamlee]

Cool use of the lazy kitty for effect!

[@mzkent]

Made this yesterday and it is INCREDIBLE. I’ve made Dan Dan and biang biang noodles before but this takes the cake. Will be making for friends, everyone needs to try this asap.

[@IAmTheUltimateRuler]

oh hell yes, this is right up my alley - give me thicc boi noodles with substance and bite any day I have a jar of sichuan seasoned soy sauce in the fridge from your suanni bairou video, although it's a lot less reduced than the one here. I wonder if kecap manis would work in a "not the same but still tasty" way - or maybe a mix of the two.... actually I just realised that I have half a bag of gnocchi in the fridge in the fridge to finish up - what is gnocchi if not the Thickest Noodle?

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

I feel like the palm sugar leads to a distinctly different taste (so, I don't think it'd be a universal sub?), but I do wonder if in the context of all these other flavors it might work? If you happen to have some on hand, definitely give it a whirl and report back :)

[@GGreene75]

@@ChineseCookingDemystifiedyou are the best cooking channel on KZbin hands down!!! Amazing quality, extremely informative, and of course phenomenal looking food!!

[@IAmTheUltimateRuler]

Did a fuck-it version tonight with the kecap manis and gnocchi tonight The flavour of the palm sugar is definitely there, but I do think that it works well in this context. That being said, I'd definitely recommend tasting before adding any more sugar to the bowl - I don't have any context on how sweet it's "supposed" to be, but I wound up adding a bit of my seasoned soy sauce to rebalance the sweet and salt, and to add a bit of complexity - a touch of light soy sauce and a pinch of 5 spice would probably work too in this kind of small quantity. When I get around to actually making the noodles, I'm sure I'll do a proper sweet water, but for a 15 min fuck-it meal, the lazy subs definitely hit the spot

[@RandomButtonPusher]

Have to say, this is one noodle dish we didn't encounter in our year in Chengdu back in the early '90s. But the seasonings do hew to classic Sichuan flavors. Guess we just didn't get to try everything around town.

[@fraz071097]

You are the best cooking channel in the world

[@msjkramey]

I love both thin and thick noodles. They both have their place. It's the noodles in the middle that I don't particularly like. Also, my only experience with szechuan pepper wasn't pleasant. I wasn't expecting my throat to numb because I didn't know it was in there and I thought I was having an allergic reaction, so I nearly had a panic attack lol. Idk if I'll go down that road again... maybe...

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

If you had the huajiao kernels, they tend to stick more, powder would be better. But that's a variation anyway, you can skip it for sure.

[@DevynCairns]

What? How do you feel about ramen then? Of course, there's variation and some are definitely on the thin side, but I'd definitely call typical ramen noodles a medium thickness.

[@aristoth]

Looking forward to a chili oil revisit video! Might pair well with a mapo tofu revisit.

[@filipusandikawicaksana6822]

I'm wondering how similar the "Sweet Water" is when compared to Kecap Manis, which is Indonesian-Chinese in origin and is made from soy sauce, molasses/dark sugar, and a bit of chinese five-spice... Have you guys had those in Bangkok?

[@FransiscaAtmadja]

As well as this noodle style is similar to the Mie Yamin. Don’t you think so?

[@onionarmpit]

These noodles are my childhood, thank you!

[@carson6097]

Sesame paste variation is king imho sooooo good

[@BackgroundNPC75557]

Looks scrumptious.

[@mydogisbailey]

This looks so good! And your doggy is adorable ❤

[@ohpotatoesandmolasses]

This looks absolutely amazing.

[@Shifter5555]

This "Sweet Water" sauce also looks a lot like kechup manis too, if you want to simplify it further...

[@eldenjim]

The 7-11 bag is too iconic

[@lanceraiku]

I was searching for an udon recipe not 2 hours ago ill have to make this next time looks delicious!

[@hannahpuckett695]

Love everything about the flavor profile of this dish and am excited to make my own! You just motivated me to dig in and start making it for dinner 😋 真好吃。

[@brittanybryce7596]

Man does that ever look good! I think this is going to become my favourite new snack!

[@rachelcourtney4291]

I had these in dujiangyan and have been obsessed with re-creating them, I'm excited to try your version! Udon noodles do work well but I most often make them with Shanxi planed noodles which aren't quite the same but easy to find for me and work really well with the sauce. You definitely want noodles with some heft.

[@Cynbel_Terreus]

I break the mold, I'm just a noodle lover. Thin or thick doesn't matter to me because I love them all

[@OlEgSaS32]

Yes! if its a noodle, i will eat it

[@jasminemason6812]

Can I just buy ready made/mixed sauce ? It’s look really appetizing. Thank you for sharing.

[@axislexington8042]

Oh Chris. You forgot one more in the noodles group. The Flat Noodle gang. Unless you generalized flat noods as "thick" as in 粗麵like in cart noodle（車仔麵）

[@moritzscherner5618]

never seen or heard of this before, looks amazing!!

[@JoMamasHouse]

Love me some Chef Wang Gang.

[@sheelahtolton3998]

I made this tonight- it was so good!

[@cookingwithmimmo]

Beautiful recipe so tasty

[@DianeH2038]

YUM; looking forward to making this!!! I just procured some 00 flour and only plan to use some of it for pizza dough. the rest will be set aside for dumplings or... something exactly like this! thank you, as always!

[@RookV666]

I just love your channel

[@timmccarthy9917]

THICC noodle lovers where you at?

[@cat8324]

thick noodle gang

[@christaylor9095]

I truly hope the lazy cat is your companion animal. That's great footage.

[@kelly_seastar]

Perhaps I don't have the most refined pallet, but all noodles and pasta taste the same to me. That said, it's more about texture for me. I like a nice thick chewy noodle. 🥰

[@sipagolda]

So when are you guys putting out a cookbook?

[@marijkeschellenbach2680]

Oh this is a dish I am going to have to make!!!!!!!

[@clairbeeguitar]

do you know of any thick alkaline noodles? if not do you think theyd be palatable? Im definitely in the thick noodle camp but nothing beats the perfect chew of ramen

[@lilye7487]

What do you mean side, who doesn't love all types and thicknesses of noodle?

[@guidow9616]

Can someone explain to a german guy how xiaomian is considered a "breakfast dish". For germans breakfast means bread, coffee, cheese or sausage or marmelade. We eat it ~1/2 - 1h after getting up in the morning or even on the way to work. In germany (except for going to a brunch which is usually done before noon, so much later) breakfast is never a hot dish. How do you eat a noodle soup dish in the morning? Do you usually prepare this at home or do you go outside and eat it on the way to work?

[@n0etic_f0x]

I know a guy who made something like this only with even less effort, he made the "sweet water" combo with soy sauce and honey then melted butter and poured it over Gochugaru and Sichuan pepper powder and would serve it to high and hungover college students. He called it something really offensive like Waste water noodles, acctuealy I think that was it because it was a dish for people who are wasted by people who are wasted and he just thought it was funny. It was cheap and if you had to cram for a test you could make a massive amount of it and eat through the night.

[@carlcouture1023]

I'm definitely on team thicc. Need to give this one a go!

[@CaravelClerihew]

Gotta love the ubiquitous pale yellow plastic bag that you use everytime some dough needs to rest. It features enough that it needs a nickname at this point.

[@TheSilent333]

That looks so delicious!

[@jastonyuh765]

You guys should do a vid on Chinese oyster omelets! I hear Thailand has excellent oyster omelets too

[@dfwturtles105]

This thumbnail and the peach birthday bao are doing things to me I tell ya

[@bettythefrootloop5705]

The store I went to distinguishes between light and dark chinese soy sauce. Which would you recommend for Sweet Water?

[@jonfetzek3053]

Well she sounds lovely based on the title alone

[@agxryt]

Hey guys, was it this channel that showed off a way to flatten/butterfly chicken that involved dragging downwards slices along it? I don't watch many other cooking channels, and just BARELY remember seeing this

[@grunnyyk2]

Any tips on how much water to add (looking at how wet the dough should be rather than absolute mls in recipe)? Trying to make udon with a similar recipe and my dough always seems too dry

[@gavinc.morrison1147]

Noone asked but my top three in no order. Udon, Vermicelli, Buckwheat. Can't go wrong

[@theodoreaguglia8902]

Bro, change the thumbnail to THICCC

[@AntoniusTyas]

Thick noodles or thin noodles? Yes.

[@Villagegirl279]

Looks delicious

[@kyle6899]

@1:32 It is very confusing, 00 flour has an average gluten content of 8-12%. High gluten flour is closer to 14%. 00 flour is used for pizza's specifically because it has High protein with lower gluten content. If you ever use high gluten flour to make a pizza you will find it makes a dense crust. Are these flours really interchangeable?

[@phreakadelik21]

love the content! can you make a video on "the pantheon of sichuan noodles"?

[@Kamunchu]

Team thick noodle all the way.

[@queenofdramatech]

Question, if it is a toss up between a kikoman bottle and Chinese dark soy sauce, can I use dark soy?

[@FortunateJuice]

Based on everything I've seen, dark soy is usually just used to add color. So I'd say probably not.

[@ml8207]

I can only find ground sand ginger - how much would you use?

[@ChaosPod]

For the sweet soy sauce, can you sub in the Indonesian ABC sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) instead of adding sugar?

[@dEarMrGeNesiS]

i was wondering the same, though im not sure because kecap manis u sually contains around 50% sugar which is more than the reatio stated in the recipe. But maybe something like 1tbs kecap manis and 1tbs soy together with a pinch of five spice could do the trick?

[@RosiePosie-el3lj]

That thumbnail is a description of how I want all my first dates to go.

[@AzariaYun]

Will you please make a video for suan nai or nai lao?

[@wazzup105]

Now I'm hungry (team thick noodles)

[@metasamsara]

As always super instructive and interesting :D Are there records of the early beginnings of how Chinese cuisine came to be and evolved regionally? Like super large scale macro history of Chinese food culture and basic principles and methods

[@realDeor]

I live in Korean, I really want this!! I have to find a restaurant that sells this somehow somewhere.

[@saranainai]

I’m a fan of reusing 7-11 plastic bag. Great content as always!

[@addis.temari]

Ok. This is a fantastic channel. That Thumbnail kinda sus, tho.

[@vorabee1847]

How OP to be one who loves thin and thick noodles.

[@chaitalismusings]

Will ketchup manis do?

[@Pridetoons]

Looks Amazing!!! 🤤

[@bartvanderoordt510]

I believe i found a recipe for this once which had sesame paste included and crushed peanuts on top

[@bartvanderoordt510]

Found back the recipe from chinasichanfoods it was indeed the same sweet water noodles

[@borby4584]

Question: since brown sugar is just sugar + molasses, would subbing it for molasses entirely work, or should some sugar be there regardless?

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

I would mix sugar with molasses :)

[@mynameismud8596]

Whats the dish at 0:22 ?

[@tsuribachi]

1:00 can't I love all noodle size? XD

[@debscatena]

Any chance of billi billi or Wechat channel , you tube changing rules on ads and stuff is messing me out

[@silverfiste]

There is a third group that like both thick and thin noodles

[@justin2166]

Better than the original thumbnail text: "Hot, Sloppy and Thicc"

[@rockys7726]

That's a lot of ingredients for a spoonful of noodles. That bowl is basically two mouthfuls.

[@halutena736]

I'm assuming you cant just use udon noodles in a pinch...?

[@ojaimark]

It's hard to tell from the video. Is the dish served cold or hot?

[@WalterBurton]

I mean, at some point, a noodle turns into a dumpling. I like em all! lol

[@weaddictedtoperception]

looks amazing

[@ryotanada]

Does the reduced soy sauce with sugar and spice remind anyone else of Kecap Manis? Would that work somehow?

[@JaePlay]

im so sad zha jiang mian isnt in the pantheon :[

[@marca4443]

Maghalsit! Istvan mughein

[@Ferretbyte]

why does dan dan noodles have such a dumpy though

[@iitu2]

At quick glance the thumbnail looked like bloody intestines😄My youtube feed is full of Halloween things so this fit right in😅

[@AlucardXIX]

We like'em triple-C THICCC

[@doomcake2020]

I refuse to choose sides in the impending noodle war...

[@Pridetoons]

Will you two ever localize Chifa (Peruvian Cuisine) for us? 🥺

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

They really need to start working on the Hong Kong - Lima direct flight

[@Elizabeth-n3v2u]

I am a thicc noodle lover for sure and oh these are thiCC