Scallion Oil Noodles
Noodles tossed in fragrant scallion oil.
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Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles with Pork and Black Vinegar
Hand-shaved wheat noodles, chilled for bite, dressed with garlic, Shanxi aged vinegar and chilli oil, and topped with scalding-hot braised pork. Adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report — 山西刀削面, report 157.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 山西刀削面_157.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 45 minutesCook: 25 minutesTotal: 1 hour 10 minutesServings: 1–2Difficulty: MediumRegion: ShanxiFlavour: Sour-spicy
Home adaptation note: The report is one portion (200 g flour, about 350 g finished). Quantities below are that portion. No shaving knife? Cut the rested dough into thin strips with a knife instead — the shape changes but the method holds (adaptation).
Why this works
Everything in this bowl is built around one contrast: cold, firm noodles against a topping served at a rolling boil. The dough is deliberately stiff, roughly two parts flour to one part water, and rested for thirty minutes so it relaxes enough to shave without springing back. Each shaving should be about three centimetres long and only two or three millimetres thick, so it cooks through quickly. A single splash of cold water while the noodles boil, the classic point-water step, lets the centre cook without turning the broth starchy. Chilling the noodles in ice water firms them up, and the pork topping must be genuinely boiling when it hits the bowl, because that heat is what blooms the raw garlic and sterilises the garnish in the report's own terms. The vinegar goes into the pork during braising as well as the bowl, so the sourness tastes rounded rather than sharp.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour (high-gluten) | 7 oz | 200 g | Bread flour, not all-purpose, for a dough stiff enough to shave. |
| Water (for dough) | 6 tbsp | 90 ml | Ice water in summer, per the report. |
| Salt (for dough) | 1/2 tsp | 3 g | — |
| Pork belly, cut into 0.5 cm dice | 2.8 oz | 80 g | Report also describes a 3:7 fat-to-lean belly; belly is the cut. |
| Shanxi aged vinegar, divided | 2 tbsp | 30 ml | 10 ml into the pork braise, 20 ml in the bowl. No substitute matches it; black vinegar is closest (adaptation). |
| Garlic, crushed to a paste | 0.5 oz | 15 g | — |
| Chilli oil | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Shop-bought or homemade. |
| Light soy sauce | 2 tsp | 10 ml | — |
| Sichuan pepper powder | 1/4 tsp | 1 g | — |
| Ginger, minced; star anise; Sichuan pepper (for braise) | To taste | Small amounts | Report lists them without quantities; amounts are a home adaptation — a pinch each. |
| Scallion, chopped | To garnish | To garnish | Must be scalded by the hot topping or blanched, per the report. |
| Neutral cooking oil | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | For frying the pork. |
Equipment
- Arc-shaped noodle-shaving knife if you have one; otherwise a sharp kitchen knife (adaptation)
- Large pot for boiling noodles
- Bowl of ice water for chilling the noodles
Steps
- Braise the pork topping. Fry the pork dice in a little oil over medium-low heat until the fat renders and the surface turns golden. Add ginger, star anise and Sichuan pepper, splash in 10 ml vinegar, then soy sauce, salt and water. Simmer on low heat 15 minutes until the liquid is thick.
- Make and rest the dough. Mix flour, salt and water into a smooth, stiff dough. Cover with a damp cloth and rest 30 minutes; do not shorten this rest.
- Shave and boil the noodles. Shape the dough into a long oval. Shave thin leaf-shaped pieces, about 3 cm long and 0.2–0.3 cm thick, directly into boiling water. When the noodles float, add half a bowl of cold water, bring back to a boil, then lift out.
- Chill the noodles. Plunge the noodles into ice water at once, then drain well.
- Assemble. Put garlic paste, the remaining 20 ml vinegar and chilli oil in the bowl. Reheat the pork topping until boiling (at least 90 °C), pour it scalding over the garlic, then add the noodles and scatter scallion. Serve at once.
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Technique: Stiff dough, boiling topping
A soft dough cannot be shaved; it tears and clumps. The 30-minute rest is what lets a stiff dough relax enough to cut cleanly. And the topping must truly boil — lukewarm pork will not bloom the garlic, and the report requires the garnish to be heated by it.
Variations
- Knife-cut version: Roll the rested dough flat and cut it into strips if you have no shaving knife; boil the same way.
- Milder: Halve the chilli oil and keep the vinegar; the bowl stays sour and savoury without the heat.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my noodles shrink or tear?
The dough was not rested long enough, or it was too soft. Rest the full 30 minutes and keep the dough stiff.
Do I have to chill the noodles?
The report does, for bite. Skipping it gives softer, warmer noodles — pleasant, but a different dish.
Can I use ordinary black vinegar?
Yes, but Shanxi aged vinegar is more mellow and aromatic; ordinary black vinegar will taste sharper, so start with a little less.
Storage
Best eaten fresh. Cooked noodles keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat the pork topping to a full boil before pouring over. Do not store the assembled bowl.
Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles with Pork and Black Vinegar — Recipe Card
Shaved wheat noodles with sour-spicy pork topping, served with garlic and aged vinegar.
Prep: 45 minutesCook: 25 minutesTotal: 1 hour 10 minutesServings: 1–2
Ingredients: 200 g bread flour; 90 ml water; 3 g salt; 80 g pork belly; 30 ml Shanxi aged vinegar; 15 g garlic; 15 ml chilli oil; 10 ml light soy; 1 g Sichuan pepper powder; ginger, star anise, Sichuan pepper to taste.
Steps: 1) Braise pork dice 15 minutes with vinegar and spices. 2) Rest stiff dough 30 minutes. 3) Shave into boiling water, point with cold water once, drain and chill. 4) Bowl garlic, vinegar and chilli oil; pour boiling pork over, add noodles.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 山西刀削面 (data/reports/157.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Ginger, star anise and Sichuan pepper quantities for the braise are not given in the report and are labelled as a home adaptation.