Cart noodle
![]() Cart noodles with beef soup | |
Type | Noodles |
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Course | Main course |
Place of origin | Hong Kong and Macau |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Flour, egg and depend on toppings |
Cart noodle | |||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 車仔麵 | ||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 车仔面 | ||||||||||||||
Cantonese Yale | Chējái mihn | ||||||||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 嗱喳麵 | ||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 嗱喳面 | ||||||||||||||
Cantonese Yale | Láhjá mihn | ||||||||||||||
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/A_bowl_of_Man_Kee_cart_noodles.jpg/220px-A_bowl_of_Man_Kee_cart_noodles.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/HK_WC_Anton_Street_Noodle_Shop_menu.jpg/220px-HK_WC_Anton_Street_Noodle_Shop_menu.jpg)
Cart Noodles (traditional Chinese: 車仔麵; simplified Chinese: 车仔面) is a noodle dish which became popular in Hong Kong and Macau in the 1950s through independent street vendors operating on roadsides and in public housing estates in low-income districts, using mobile carts.[1][2] Many street vendors have vanished but the name and style of noodle endures as a cultural icon.[3]
History
[edit]This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2023) |
With many immigrants arriving from mainland China during the 1950s, hawkers would sell food from mobile carts roaming the streets.[1] Some vendors specialising in cooked noodles would sell them with an assortment of toppings and styles.[4]
Historically, the cart frames were assembled out of wood with a metallic basin, allowing a heat source inside to cook the ingredients. In the past [when?], it was possible to receive large quantities for a cheap price. With hygiene standards rising, the majority of street hawkers, licensed or otherwise, have since vanished.
Legacy
[edit]The name and style of the noodles endures, and remain widely available in Hong Kong style teahouses (despite street hawkers dwindling)[5]. The price may vary depending on the ingredients, or establishments. It is typically considered an affordable food, and is consumed as a mid-day snack or lunch. Additionally, due to the noodle's widespread cultural influence, it can also be found in higher-end establishments with emphasis placed on better quality ingredients and technique.
Typical combinations
[edit]Cart noodles is typically based upon the diner choosing various ingredients they would like, including the type of noodles, various soup broths, and toppings.[2] Examples of types of noodles and toppings, which may vary considerably from stall to stall:
Toppings
[edit]- Pig skin (豬皮)[6]
- Congealed pig's blood (豬紅)
- Pig intestine (豬大腸)[6]
- Pig oviduct (生腸)
- Red Chinese sausage (紅腸)
- Pork sausage[6]
- Chicken wing (雞翼)
- Spam (餐肉)
- Omasum (牛百葉)
- Beef ball (牛丸)
- Beef offal[6]
- Pork ball (豬肉丸)[6]
- Fried fishball (炸魚蛋)[6]
- Cuttlefish ball (墨魚丸)[6]
- Fishcake
- Crab stick (蟹柳)
- Octopus[6]
- Fried tofu[6]
- Wonton (雲吞)[6]
- Siu mai (燒賣)
- Green vegetables (蔬菜)[6]
- Chinese radish (蘿蔔)
- Spinach[6]
- Rehydrated shiitake mushroom (冬菇)
- Winter mushrooms[6]
Noodles
[edit]- Ho fan (河粉)
- Thick noodles (粗麪)[6]
- Thin noodles (幼麪)[6]
- Oil noodles (油麪)
- Rice noodles[6]
- Yi mein (伊麪)
- Udon (烏冬)
Soup
[edit]The soup served can vary with the establishment and diner preferences, some options may include: beef broth, fish/seafood broth, chicken broth, laksa soup, curry soup, .[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ a b "Cart noodles" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
- ^ a b c "The best local food in Hong Kong". Time Out Hong Kong. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "Kai Kai Noodle Shop". CNN Go. 8 October 2010. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "May May Cart Noodle Restaurant". hiphongkong.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ Yu, Helen. "Where To Find The Best Cart Noodles In Hong Kong". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Test results of cart noodles released". The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Division, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2019. (in English)