Chao Bo Yu Zi (Stir-fried Flicked Fish Noodles)
Flick with chopsticks! Mochimochi noodles like “little fish” swimming in a pot
Description
A highly unique home-cooked noodle dish in Northwest China. Extremely soft wheat dough is rested on the edge of a bowl, and chopsticks are used to rapidly 'flick' (Bo) slivers of it directly into boiling water. Named 'Flicked Fish' (Bo Yu Zi) because the noodles—thick in the middle and tapered at the ends—resemble tiny swimming fish.
Restaurants serving Chao Bo Yu Zi (Stir-fried Flicked Fish Noodles)
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The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Dough: This is Life) Knead wheat flour, water, and salt into an extremely high-hydration, slime-like dough that 'can barely be lifted with chopsticks'. Rest it submerged in water.
- (Flicking Artisan Skill) Stand over a boiling pot. Hold the bowl of dough in your left hand, tilting it over the water.
- Holding a single chopstick (or iron rod) in your right hand, rapidly slice and 'FLICK! FLICK!' slivers of dough off the edge of the bowl at blinding speed directly into the boiling water.
- The flicked dough cooks into the shape of tiny fish (Bo Yu Zi). Shock them in cold water.
- (Stir-fry) Heat oil in a wok. Fry mutton, onion, bell pepper, and tomato spicy.
- Toss the boiled 'Fish Noodles' into the wok on high heat, glazing them perfectly with soy, black vinegar, and cumin (can also be served as a soup).
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Tomato tartness and cumin-scented lamb fat、クミンが香る羊脂
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Drop tiny dollops of Japanese Suiton dough with a spoon to substitute)
Pairing
Lamb Skewers / Cold Tea
Trivia
[Trivia] The pinnacle of 'fast-food pasta' invented by Northwest housewives to rapidly cook family meals using only a bowl and a chopstick, eliminating knives and cutting boards. The rhythmic 'Flick, Flick' sound of the dough is the daily music of Northwest kitchens.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Because they are shaped like tiny pasta, scoop them with a spoon. The tapered ends are 'smooth and slippery' down the throat, while the thick center possesses a 'violently chewy' elasticity, offering two textures in one noodle. The synergy with the rich tomato-mutton sauce is flawless.
Allergen
Wheat, Mutton, Soybeans, Wheat (Soy sauce)