Renowned for its simplicity and comforting flavors, Yang Chun Mian is a Shanghai classic noodle dish that can be prepared in just a few minutes.
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What is Yang Chun Mian
Yang Chun Mian/阳春面, literally meaning “Spring Noodles”, is also known as s Guang Mian/光面 or Qing Tang Mian/清汤面 in Chinese. It’s one of the most humble dishes popular in the Jiangnan region, often associated with Shanghai Cuisine.
It features wheat-based noodles served in a soy sauce-flavored clear soup. Unlike other classic Chinese noodle dishes, such as Dan Dan Noodles and Fried Sauce Noodles, it doesn’t include any meat or vegetable toppings, except for chopped scallions as a garnish.
Yang Chun Mian epitomizes simplicity, allowing each element of the dish to shine through with its clean, natural flavors. A simple bowlful lets you enjoy the subtle aroma of wheat, the umami from the stock and soy sauce, the mild pungency of scallions, and the rich fragrance of sesame oil (or traditionally, lard).
Ingredients & substitutes
Here is the list of ingredients and their possible substitutes for this recipe:
- Noodles. The traditional version calls for thin noodles made of just wheat flour and water. However, if you’re not keen on the authentic taste, other types of noodles work too, such as alkaline noodles (ramen), egg noodles, rice noodles, or soba noodles.
- Stock. Choose unsalted stock made with chicken, beef, and vegetables. My favorite quick solution is Chinese mushroom seasoning powder (香菇精) diluted with hot water.
- Soy sauce. It’s best, but by no means compulsory, to use both light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, as the latter offers an appetizing hue to the soup.
- Sesame oil, or lard, rendered chicken fat
- White pepper, for a subtle spicy kick
- Scallions, for an extra aroma and color
🌟 NOTE: The most humble version of the dish can be made with water instead of stock. I find it sufficiently satisfying, especially when lard is used.
Cooking workflow
It takes less than 10 minutes to put this dish together. Here is the most efficient workflow:
Step 1: Cook the noodles
Bring plenty of water to a full boil, then put in the noodles. When the water boils again, turn the heat down to medium. Leave to cook until the noodles are just cooked.
🌟 NOTE: Since the noodles will further soften once immersed in the soup, be careful not to overcook them, as this can result in a mushy texture.
Step 2: Heat the stock
If your stove has two or more burners, use another pot to heat up the stock while you cook the noodles.
If using shop-bought stock in cubes or powder, you can simply dilute it with hot water boiled in the kettle.
Step 3: Prepare the seasonings
Add all the seasonings — soy sauce, sesame oil (or lard), and white pepper — to each serving bowl. Cut the scallions crosswise into fine pieces.
Step 4: Assemble the dish
Pour the heated stock into the bowls. Give the soup a quick stir, then taste it to see if extra salt is needed.
Lay in the cooked noodles and garnish with chopped scallions. Enjoy the dish while warm.
Serving ideas
Thanks to its simplicity and quick cooking, Yang Chun Mian would make a great addition to your breakfast or lunch menus. To make the meal a little fancier (but still remain simple and quick), pair it with a refreshing Smashed Cucumber Salad and a Marble Tea Egg cooked and steeped beforehand.
If you happen to have some leftover cooked meat, such as Roast Chicken, or Char Siu, use it as a topping for this noodle soup.
Other easy noodle recipes
Looking for more noodle dishes that are as simple as Yang Chun Mian? Try these classic recipes:
📋 Recipe card
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Yang Chun Mian (Warm Spring Noodle Soup, 阳春面)
Ingredients
- 2 portion noodles, fresh or dried (see note 1)
- 3 cup unsalted stock, chicken, beef, or vegetable
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil, or lard, rendered chicken fat (see note 2)
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- Salt, to taste
- 1 stalk scallions, finely chopped
Instructions
Cook the noodles
- Bring plenty of water to a full boil. Add the noodles. Leave to boil over medium heat until they are just cooked.
Heat the stock
- While the noodles are cooking, use another pot to heat up the stock over another burner until it becomes piping hot.
Prepare the seasonings
- As the above two steps are in progress, add all the seasonings to two serving bowls — light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil (or lard, rendered chicken fat), and white pepper.
Assemble the dish
- Ladle the hot stock over the seasonings. Stir well and taste the soup to decide if additional salt is needed. Add the cooked noodles. Sprinkle chopped scallions over and serve immediately.
Notes
Your Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So simple and so good.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe Lois!
love this! i added chicken cooked in soy sauce and the chicken stock to make it more filling.
everyone loved it!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks for sharing your tweaks.
Awesome, and yes! Simple to make. Thank you for a great recipe among many, you so freely offer 🙂
P.S. One can always tweak it to taste.
Thank you so much, Ellie! I’m happy you enjoyed it and found it simple to make. And yes, a little tweak to taste is always part of the fun!
i make something similar every day but i dont use soy sauce or oil. i make my knorr chicken stock, and boil it up with bits of onion garlic chili ginger lemongrass bay leaves celery stick, remove the ginger lemongrass celery n bay leaves just before serving, add my noodles, top with my scallions and sesame seeds. (to be fair i do always have/pep the onion garlic n chili n spring onions ready to use for each meal)
Thank you for sharing your noodle soup idea. I hope you’ll enjoy cooking this recipe when you have a chance.