Yi Mein

Yi Mein (Simplified Chinese: 伊面; Traditional Chinese: 伊麵; Pinyin: Yī miàn; also e-fu noodles / yee mein) are Cantonese wheat-and-egg noodles typically formed into dried cakes, deep-fried, then softened and braised in stock or sauce. In Hong Kong and Guangdong they appear at banquets and birthday meals as a longevity-noodle style dish, distinct from stir-fried Chow Mein or soup Wonton Noodles.

Characteristics

Noodles are springy and slightly porous from frying; sauce clings well. Common finishes include crab meat, mushrooms, or simple scallion-oil braise. Packaged dried cakes are supermarket staples.

Ingredients (overview)

Wheat flour, egg, alkali water notes in some recipes; oil for frying; stock, soy, oyster sauce, protein or mushroom toppings for finishing.

History and culture

Cantonese noodle repertoire on Hong Kong Food and Guangdong Food; English menus often say "yi mein" or "e-fu noodles." Birthday and wedding banquet symbolism overlaps with longevity noodle customs elsewhere in China but the fried-cake form is strongly Cantonese.

Serving and variations

Banquet course or restaurant noodle main. See Hong Kong Food, Fish Ball Noodles, and Chow Mein.

See also

• Hong Kong Food
• Guangdong Food
• Fish Ball Noodles
• Chow Mein
• Wonton Noodles
• Cart Noodles
• List of dishes (A-Z)