Dishes
dry yi mian with meat sauce
乾意麵
Also called: 鹽水意麵 · 意麵 · Yanshui yi mian · yi mein
Yanshui's thin egg noodles served dry with minced pork sauce, a few slices of pork and bean sprouts.
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0What it is
意麵 (yi mian) is a Taiwanese egg noodle, made in fried and unfried forms. The dry version is tossed with a garlicky, slightly sweet minced pork sauce and topped with sliced pork and a few bean sprouts.
Where it comes from
The name is often said to come from 伊麵 (yi mein), the Cantonese fried egg noodle, by a shift in pronunciation. Chinese Wikipedia notes that Taiwanese yi mian looks and cooks very differently from yi mein, so the link is uncertain.
How it is made
The noodles are boiled, drained and served without broth, then topped with the meat sauce, pork slices and bean sprouts.
How to eat it
Mix everything together before eating. Add chilli if you like heat.
In Tainan
Yanshui, in northern Tainan, is known for its yi mian. For the dry version, locals favour A Miao Yi Mian, across from the Yongcheng Theatre.
Where to eat it in Tainan
Sources