Shaanxi · noodle
Biangbiang Noodles
biáng biáng 面 · Biángbiáng Miàn
Wide, hand-pulled, belt-shaped Shaanxi noodles. The 'biang' character is the most complex in the Chinese language.
Biangbiang noodles are wide, flat, hand-pulled wheat noodles from Shaanxi — typically 3–5 cm wide and 1+ metre long per piece. Topped with chilli oil, vinegar, soy, garlic, scallion, and sometimes minced beef or stir-fried vegetables. The character 'biang' is famously the most complex character in standard written Chinese, with around 58 strokes; it's a regional onomatopoeia for the sound of the noodle hitting the workboard. Halal versions common.
Where to try
Xi'an: Yong Xing Fang street has multiple noodle houses.
Dietary notes
Wheat. Vegetable or meat versions.
Cities to try Biangbiang Noodles
Other northwest dishes
- Big Plate Chicken大盘鸡
A large-portioned Xinjiang braised chicken dish with potatoes, peppers and thick hand-pulled belt noodles.
- Hand-Grasped Lamb手抓羊肉
Large bone-in lamb pieces boiled in spiced water and eaten by hand — a communal dish of Inner Mongolia and the northwest.
- Laghman (Hand-Pulled Noodles with Lamb)拉条子
Uyghur hand-pulled wheat noodles with a lamb-and-vegetable sauce of tomato, pepper and onion.
- Lagman Pulled Noodles拉条子
Thick hand-pulled wheat noodles served with a stew of lamb, peppers, tomatoes and cumin — a Central Asian staple.