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The Best Chinese Noodle Sauce (Da Lu Mian, 打卤面)

4.55 from 11 votes
Although the recipe yields six servings, I highly recommend you make a full batch and not cut the recipe in half. This is the type of recipe that takes some time to prepare, no matter how many portions you make. Plus, the leftovers taste even better and you will finish them in no time.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rehydrating & Marination Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: home style
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Author: Maggie

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1 lb (450 g) shrimp , peeled and deveined
  • 12 oz (350 g) pork tenderloin , thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine , or dry sherry
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 can (28 oz/794 g) diced tomato
  • 4 green onions , sliced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger , minced
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt , or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (Optional) (*Footnote 2)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or homemade chili oil (Optional)

Instructions

Rehydrate

  • Gently rinse the dried lily flowers with tap water. Transfer to a big bowl and add 4 cups hot water. Rehydrate until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Then remove tough ends of rehydrated lily flowers (*Footnote 3). Transfer 2 cups of the marinating water to another bowl without any of the solids that may have settled on the bottom. Set aside.
  • Gently rinse dried shiitake mushrooms with tap water. Add mushrooms and 2 cups hot water to a big bowl. Rehydrate until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Then drain and slice the mushrooms.
  • Add wood ear mushrooms to a small bowl and add hot water to cover. Let rehydrate for 15-20 minutes. When woodear mushrooms turn soft, gently rinse, drain, and set aside.

Marinade & Prep

  • Combine shrimp, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl. Mix well by hand and marinate for 15 minutes.
  • Combine pork, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl. Mix well by hand and marinate for 15 minutes.
  • Chop and prepare the other vegetables.
  • Combine the the 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup water in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.

Cook

  • Heat oil in a 5.5-quart dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add lily flowers, shiitake mushrooms, and wood ear mushrooms. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add green onion and ginger. Stir a few times until fragrant.
  • Add canned tomato, stir, and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the 2 cups marinating water from the lily flowers, chicken stock, soy sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Turn to medium low heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Add the shrimp and pork. Stir and cook until the shrimp turns white and the pork is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Whisk the cornstarch water again and swirl in half of it. Stir until fully incorporated. Slowly add the rest of the cornstarch water and stir, until the gravy reaches the desired thickness (you will have some slurry left if you prefer a thinner gravy). Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. Drizzle with sesame oil or homemade chili oil to finish up, if using. The sauce should be slightly salty by itself. Remove the pot from your stove and cover to keep hot.
  • Cook noodles according to instructions. Drain and transfer to each serving plate.
  • Serve the sauce hot over the noodles. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Wide, thick noodles made with wheat flour work the best. If you want the meal to be extra fancy, you can make hand pulled noodles.
  2. I used some oyster sauce to add more flavor and sweetness. If you do not have a bottle of it on hand, use 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 teaspoons sugar instead.
  3. Not all lily flowers have tough ends. Depending on the quality of your flowers, you might not need this step. Feel the end of the flower with your hand. If there is a thin, tough, woody stick (less than half an inch / 1 cm), snip it off and discard it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 292kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 7.5g, Cholesterol: 125mg, Sodium: 785mg, Fiber: 3.6g, Sugar: 4.6g