Tian Shui Mian (Sweet Water Noodles, 甜水面)

A bowl of Tian Shui Mian with thick sauce.

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Tian Shui Mian (Sweet Water Noodles, 甜水面)

A popular street food in Sichuan, Tian Shui Mian features extra thick, chewy noodles seasoned with intense flavors: hot, tingly, sweet, and super aromatic.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

REST25

Total Time50

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 702kcal

Author: Wei Guo

Ingredients

For noodles

1⅔ cup all-purpose flour see note 1
6 tablespoon water see note 2
¼ teaspoon salt

For spiced sweet soy sauce

1 cup soy sauce light or regular
½ cup dark brown sugar or rock sugar
¼ cup water
2 stalk scallions
5 slice ginger
1 star-anise
1 small piece Chinese cinnamon aka cassia cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 Tsao-ko aka Chinese black cardamom (optional)

To season (for 2 bowls)

2 tablespoon spiced sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoon Chinese chili oil
1 tablespoon sesame paste thinned with a little water (optional, see note 2)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoon toasted peanuts crushed
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the dough

Put flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Pour in water gradually while swirling with a pair of chopsticks. Small lumps of dough form during this process.
Use your hand to combine and knead until a rough-looking, firm dough forms.
Cover the dough with cling film. Leave to rest for 15 minutes. Once the resting is done, knead the dough again for 2-3 minutes until it becomes smooth. Let it rest for another 10 minutes.

Cook the spiced sweet soy sauce

While waiting for the dough to rest, prepare the spiced sweet soy sauce. Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a saucepan.
Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer uncovered. Once lots of bubbles appear and the sauce becomes thick enough to coat a spoon, remove from the heat.
Pass the sauce through a sieve to remove all the solid bits. Let the sauce cool and move on to the next step (Note that the sauce will be more than you need for this recipe. Learn other usage and storage tips in note 3).

Shape the noodles

Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a rectangle of about ⅓ inch (8mm) thick. Dust with flour when necessary to prevent sticking.
Cut the dough into strips of noodles with a width of around ⅓ inch (8mm). Dust the noodles with flour and loosen them up to avoid sticking (see note 4).

Cook the noodles

Bring a pot of water to a full boil. Slightly stretch the noodles before putting them into the water.
Leave to boil until they’re just cooked, achieving a firm, chewy texture. Drain then rinse under running water to cool them quickly (see note 5).

Assemble the dish

Divide the noodles into two serving bowls. Add the spiced sweet soy sauce, chili oil, sesame paste, minced garlic, toasted peanuts, sugar, and ground Sichuan pepper. Stir well to coat each noodle with the seasonings.

Notes

Please be aware that measuring flour by cups is less accurate than by weight. If you’re unfamiliar with dough making, it’s best to follow the quantity given in grams (it’s shown when clicking the conversion button “Metric” on the top of the ingredient list).
The flour-to-water ratio may vary slightly depending on the brand of your flour. Adjust their quantity to achieve a medium-firm dough.
Store the leftover spiced sweet soy sauce in the fridge for up to 3 months. It can be used in other classic Sichuan dishes, such as Chili Oil Wonton and Sichuan Zhong Dumplings.
These fresh noodles dry out easily, so it's best to have the boiling water ready as soon as you finish cutting them. If you plan to cook them a bit later, cover them with cling film to prevent drying.
Do not rinse if your tap water isn’t safe to drink. Instead, coat the drained noodles with some sesame oil and let them cool naturally.

Nutrition