Description
A heartwarming noodle soup beloved in Xinjiang and Hui homes. Wheat dough is rolled thin and sliced into tiny, pinky-nail-sized 'diamonds (flag shapes)'. These are boiled in an umami-packed broth of mutton, tomatoes, and potatoes. A dish you don't slurp, but 'drink' with a spoon.
Restaurants serving Mian Qi Zi (Diamond Noodle Soup)
Researching
We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Wheat flour
- Minced mutton
- Ripe tomatoes
- Potato
- Onion
- Soy sauce
- Black pepper
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Noodles) Knead wheat flour, water, and salt into a firm dough.
- Use a rolling pin to stretch the dough into a massive, paper-thin (1mm) circle.
- [Pro Knife Skill]: Dust with flour. Slice into thin vertical strips, then chop diagonally at high speed to create thousands of 'tiny, pinky-nail-sized diamonds' (Mian Qi Zi).
- (Broth) Heat lamb fat in a pot. Fry finely minced lean mutton.
- Add minced onion, tomato, and potato. Fry until tomato juices bleed out.
- Flood with water (or mutton bone broth). Season with soy, salt, black pepper, and a touch of Sichuan pepper powder, bringing to a boil.
- Sprinkle the diamond noodles into the boiling soup.
- Once the noodles float and turn translucent, garnish with cilantro and serve.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Gentle tomato tartness、Thick broth of melted mutton and potato
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Substitute with micro short pasta or chopped wonton wrappers)
Pairing
Kao Rou (Lamb Skewers) / Naan
Trivia
[Trivia] 'Qi Zi' refers to traditional Chinese triangular or diamond-shaped small flags, which the noodles resemble. Gentle on the stomach and highly digestible, it is the ultimate 'taste of mom' that brings the most joy to Xinjiang children.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Chopsticks are never used. Use a spoon to scoop the boiling soup—packed with tomato and mutton umami—along with the slippery little diamond noodles, gulping them down like a 'drink'.
Allergen
Wheat, Mutton, Soybeans, Wheat (Soy sauce)