Confinement mee sua with egg (月子面线)
yue zi mian xian (月子面线)
Fine wheat mee sua noodles in a warming ginger and sesame oil broth, topped with a soft egg. A quick, comforting one-bowl meal for any time of day.
Some nights the most useful recipe is the one you can make half-asleep with a baby in one arm. A bowl of mee sua in a ginger and sesame oil broth is that recipe: warm, comforting and ready in minutes.
Why this dish
It takes the warming heart of confinement cooking, black sesame oil and ginger, and puts it in the simplest possible form. Mee sua carries a gentle symbolism too, as a longevity noodle eaten at births and milestones, but its real value here is that it is soft, quick and easy when there is no time and little energy for cooking.
Add the noodles last
The only thing to watch is timing. Mee sua goes from perfect to mushy in seconds, so add it right at the end, cook it for barely a minute, and eat it straight from the pot. Everything before that, the ginger fried in sesame oil, can wait for you.
For the warming ingredients behind it, see our spotlight on black sesame oil.
The recipe
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Serves
- 1 to 2
Why this ingredient
Mee sua (面线)
Mee sua are very fine, quick-cooking wheat noodles that carry a quiet significance: long noodles are a symbol of longevity, and a bowl of mee sua is a traditional dish at births and other milestones. In confinement they are practical too, soft and easy to eat and ready in a minute, which is why they so often partner the sesame oil and ginger dishes of the month.
Why this ingredient
Black sesame oil (黑麻油)
A spoon of black sesame oil, with ginger fried in it, is enough to turn a plain bowl of noodles into confinement food. The tradition classes the oil as warming and nourishing, and it is the same base that flavours the month’s signature chicken dishes, here in its simplest possible form.
Ingredients
- 1 bundle mee sua (fine wheat noodles), about 60 g Very fine and quick-cooking; it needs only a minute or two.
- 20 g ginger, cut into fine matchsticks Fried in the sesame oil to build the warming base.
- 1 tablespoon black sesame oil The warming fat and the heart of the broth’s flavour.
- 1 egg Soft-boiled or poached in the broth for gentle protein.
- 400 ml water or light stock The base of the broth; stock makes it richer.
- A splash of rice wine (optional) and salt to taste Rice wine adds warmth and aroma; leave it out to avoid alcohol.
Method
- 1 Heat the black sesame oil gently in a small pot over medium heat, keeping it below smoking.
- 2 Add the ginger matchsticks and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and the edges curl.
- 3 Pour in the water or stock and the optional rice wine, and bring to a simmer.
- 4 Slip in the egg to poach in the broth, or add a separately soft-boiled egg at the end.
- 5 Add the mee sua and cook for just 1 to 2 minutes until soft, season with salt, and pour into a bowl. Serve at once, as the noodles keep softening.
Notes and substitutions
- Mee sua overcooks in seconds and turns mushy, so add it last and eat it straight away.
- Rinse the noodles briefly first if the brand is very salty, which some are.
- Leftover sesame oil chicken or its sauce spooned over turns this into a more substantial meal.
Before you cook this
- A gentle dish. Leave out the rice wine, or use water, if you would rather avoid alcohol.
Common questions
Why are noodles eaten during confinement?
Long noodles are a traditional symbol of longevity and are eaten at births and birthdays, so a bowl of mee sua carries that meaning. They are also simply practical in the month: soft, quick to cook and easy to eat, and a natural partner to the warming sesame oil and ginger dishes.
What is mee sua?
Mee sua are very fine, thread-like wheat noodles, sold dried in bundles at Chinese grocers. They cook in a minute or two and are prone to turning mushy, so they are added at the very end and eaten straight away.
Can I make it more filling?
Yes. Add a handful of greens, a few slices of cooked chicken, or spoon over some leftover sesame oil chicken and its sauce. The plain ginger and sesame broth is a good base for whatever you have on hand.