Yi mein

Yi mein

Lobster with e-fu noodles in Hong Kong
Alternative names	e-fu noodles, yee-fu noodles, yi noodles, yifu noodles
Type	Chinese noodles
Place of origin	China
Main ingredients	Wheat flour, eggs
Media: Yi mein

yi mein
Traditional Chinese	伊麵
Simplified Chinese	伊面
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin yīmiàn Yī miàn Wade–Giles i-mien I mien Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization yī mihn Jyutping ji1 min6 Southern Min Hokkien POJ i-mī

The yi mein noodles available at grocery stores were pre-cooked by machines the same way as the modern instant noodles are made. ^[1]

The noodles may be cooked a number of ways. They are boiled first, then can be stir-fried, or used in soups or salads. Good noodles maintain their elasticity, allowing the noodles to stretch and remain chewy.

Dishes

Yi mein noodles can be consumed directly or used in various dishes:

• Plain yi mein.
• Plain yi mein with Chinese chives (韮黃).
• Dried fried yi mein (乾燒伊麵), often comes with Chinese chives and shiitake mushroom.
• Crab meat yi mein (蟹肉伊麵).
• Lobster yi mein (龍蝦伊麵), sometimes served with cheese in Hong Kong. ^{[2] [3]}
• Yi mein with black mushrooms and eggplant.
• Yi mein in soup.
• I fu mie , fried yi mein noodles served in sauce with vegetables, chicken or prawns.

History

Yi mein is traditionally credited to the Qing official Yi Bingshou ( t 伊 秉 綬 , s 伊 秉 绶 ,Yī Bǐngshòu; 1754–1815), who is taken to be their namesake ("Yi-style noodles") and who is also credited with popularizing Yangzhou fried rice.

Traditions

When yi mein is consumed on birthdays, it is generally referred to as long life or longevity noodles or sau mein (壽麵/寿面). The Chinese character for "long" (長壽麵/长寿面) is also added as a prefix to represent "long life". Usually it is consumed with longevity buns on such occasions.^{[ citation needed ]}

Yi mein is also a popular Lunar New Year dish. Tradition holds that the chef cannot cut the noodles, and each strand should be eaten whole. ^[4]

Gallery

• 
  Fisherman-style fried yi mein
• 
  Western- and Chinese-style yi mein with lobster
• 
  A bag of yi mein at a store in Yuen Long, Hong Kong
• 
  E-fu noodle with ground dried shrimp at a Chinese noodle restaurant in Yuen Long, Hong Kong

See also

• Mì
• Wonton noodles

References

1. "Modern Machine Makes Traditional Yi Mein Noodles" . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
2. "Lobster Yee Mein". pigpigscorner.com. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
3. "Lobster Yee Mien". www.scmp.com. South China Morning Post. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
4. Maggie Hiufu Wong (19 Jan 2023). "The complicated story behind longevity noodles, a popular Lunar New Year dish". CNN.

External links

• E-fu noodles from The Cook's Thesaurus site

• Food portal