I think you are looking for chao3he2fen3–fried rice noodles. If you say chao3mian4 you won’t get this because mian are by definition wheat-based.
I think you can find what you are looking for at any larger Cantonese-style duck shop (shao1la4dian4). The one on the north side of Heping E. Rd near Linguang station has them as does Feng4cheng2 on Xinsheng S. Road. The sanitation at Fengcheng may make this a place for those with hardier stomachs.
Chao Hefen here are almost universally crap. For a start, half the time they are egg noodles, and not rice noodles, so aren’t even Hefen. And then they are sort of sauteed rather than having the total bejaysus fried out of them at a high heat, (which is the way I like them anyway). Flash fried in a wok with groundnut oil and spices, just slightly burn and very spicy. Nothing worse than a plateful of soggy rubber bands. I love the way the Thais do Hefen. And the Vietnamese.
Chao fan is a generic term for wok-based stirrabout stuff. Could be dry or wet - as stated above. In the mainland when sitting down in a restaurant they often ask if you want to eat “chao cai” or whatever else they’ve got (soups, or dumplings, etc depending on the type of place).
[quote=“Vay”]Yes, finally someone who knows what I’m saying! Thanks Maoman! I was beginning to think I was crazy, because no one (especially Taiwanese) ever knows what I’m talking about when I itterate this complaint!
The different “chao” translation is probably the reason, I agree - because otherwise I don’t know why I always end up with soupy top-ramen flavored with “sha cha” (yuck!) instead of the kind of noodles which I think Maoman knows I’m talking about. Every time I’m like, “um, how can you call this, ‘fried’? Ever eaten ‘fried’ chicken? It doesn’t come in SOUP!”[/quote]
It wouldn’t be so confusing if you realized that Chinese food come in many varieties.
Whether “mian” or “he fen” (I like both), the way you describe is exactly the way I like them (I mean flash fried, not soggy rubber bands). That’s the way they’re generally cooked in Thailand, Nanjing and even in San Diego.
For the life of me, I can’t understand why the Taiwanese like everything soupy, squishy, and gelatinous!
I used to hate the fried noodles here too. I asked the shop too cook them the way I liked and haven’t had a complaint since. Taiwanese cooks will surprise you sometimes. You just have to be very specific about what you want.
In my opinion, this is one area where Taiwan would greatly benefit from unification. In my experience, Taiwan is the only place where if you order chaomian, it will always come out soupy. I don’t think it is a translation thing. For noodles, chao to most Chinese means ganchao. It seems that for most areas in China, the only time you would specify that you want ganchao noodles is if you are ordering a type of noodle that can come either ganchao or shichao, like hefen.
I can’t stand Taiwanese fried noodles. Even if you ask them to ganchao, they still come out too wet and the noodles, as described above, are no better than a pack of ramen. No matter how I try to explain to them the folly of their ways, Taiwanese people still just can’t seem to understand that they do it wrong, wrong, wrong. 
Sorry, but to most of the Chinese people I know, what passes as chaomian in Taiwan would not be called as such in most of the Chinese speaking world. They’re just wrong. I think it’s an independence thing. I think that quite a lot of Taiwanese insist upon doing their noodles differently from the majority of ethnic Chinese people the world over, even if it tastes like shit to anyone with a discriminating palate, just to show that they’re independent. If we were to judge Taiwanese people’s attitudes towards independence according to how they eat their noodles, it would be clear to all that the vast majority of Taiwanese decided on independence decades ago.
Sorry, but to most of the Chinese people I know, what passes as chaomian in Taiwan would not be called as such in most of the Chinese speaking world. They’re just wrong. I think it’s an independence thing. I think that quite a lot of Taiwanese insist upon doing their noodles differently from the majority of ethnic Chinese people the world over, even if it tastes like shit to anyone with a discriminating palate, just to show that they’re independent. If we were to judge Taiwanese people’s attitudes towards independence according to how they eat their noodles, it would be clear to all that the vast majority of Taiwanese decided on independence decades ago. [/quote]
Wow, that’s amazing. I never knew one could tie in fried noodles to politics and unification :bravo:
As a general statement, I’m correct. Chinese food is extremely varied by regions. Just because one region may do a certain dish the way you think it ought to be doesn’t mean that another region’s way is incorrect. It seems unfair to say to a Taiwanese chef that he must cook the noodle the way, say a Cantonese or Beijing or Sichuan chef should.
I’ve never had “soupy” chaomian. If I ever did, I’d probably think it sucked too. I have had some that I like A LOT more than others though.
Can you share your instructions with us?
Thank you!
I had a flashback over lunch. I have had those runny chaomian :fume: .
It was when I first got here that I was all into the stuff, but I always ate it at the same place (this place by my house). I stopped eating it after I’d always get some runny ass noodles the were not like what I was familiar with. I’ve had good ones too since then, but I don’t eat them as much now.
Now there’s a place by my (new) house that does them up the way I like it, but I’ve only been twice.
[I had the flashback because I was thinking to myself "Why did I stop eating chaomian? I loved that stuff.]
all done
Well, to those of you who claim they’ve eaten non-soupy fried noodles in Taiwan, how about a specific location, please? I’ve been here for nine years, lived in 7 different locations in Mu Cha, Taipei, Peitou and Linkou – and I’ve tried the fried noodles everywhere I go. I’m still looking.
My lady laughs because it’s sort of an obsession of mine. My quest…
vay,
you wanna flied-uh noodles, you go to a chinatown. you wanna soupy noodles you go to a taiwan!
the fried noodles here suck! gimme hong kong. gimme chinatown in the states. gimme that cute girl who worked at the chinatown KTV. but keep the taiwan fried noodles.damn! sucks!
Vay,
I know exactly what you mean. To all the cultural relativists out there, sure Taiwan can have their own style of fried noodles, but unfortunately it sucks.
I only know of one place that makes great fried noodles. They’re thick, tasty, and not a drop of soup will be left on the dish (a nice film of oil will be there, though). It’s near my house in Taichung. The restaurant is Li Ji Zheng Zhao, the dish is Mushu Chaomian. It’s somewhere on Beiping Road, just south of Wenshin Road in the northern part of town. These are the only fried noodles I’ve found that I enjoy, with the exception of a few SE Asian joints.
[quote=“Vay”]Well, to those of you who claim they’ve eaten non-soupy fried noodles in Taiwan, how about a specific location, please? I’ve been here for nine years, lived in 7 different locations in Mu Cha, Taipei, Beitou and Linkou – and I’ve tried the fried noodles everywhere I go. I’m still looking.
My lady laughs because it’s sort of an obsession of mine. My quest…[/quote]
You’re going to have to check out the Hong Kong style meat and rice eateries, the one with the hanging duck, roast pig, bbq pig, chicken etc. Where to find? Nanshijaio Burmese Alley has one. It’s tucked away, a whole in the wall sort of place. They also serve quite authentic HK style dim sum. Closest thing to the real deal in Taipei. Funny thing is they’re Thai.
Another place that probably serves it but I haven’t tried it yet is another HK shop in an alley across the Taipower building. The alley is between a ChinaTrust Bank and a bakery. This place is definitely HK, speak Cantonese there for best results.
This belongs in the Restaurant/Food Forum and I was meaning to post about it. This is also an obsession of mine… actually it’s my wife’s, which means me too :neutral:
That old place? The one on the dog-leg just past the basement Wellcome? Damn, time I went back there. And yes, they do sell very good fried non-soupy noodles. Their cha-shao also 'aint too shabby. Go hungry. Portions are vast IFAIR.
That old place? The one on the dog-leg just past the basement Wellcome? Damn, time I went back there. And yes, they do sell very good fried non-soupy noodles. Their cha-shao also 'aint too shabby. Go hungry. Portions are vast IFAIR.[/quote]
BINGO! Yup, that’s the one sandman 
The menu is pretty standard HK-ese. We went with someone from HK and other Cantonese speakers (but me 
) and got the real deal. Their congee selection is just fantastic. Like you were in HK again. Meals are NT$70-80. Special dishes at the most $200. It’s a great find. Perfect for lunch after Sunday service 
There’s another very good HK style eatery that probably serves HK style crispy noodles people are looking for. It’s next to the original Yonghe Dou Jiang near the Dingxi MRT No2 exit. It’s close to Wenhua St Yonghe.
Eventually that damn newbie mod will see this thread and split it off into the Restaurants forum. 
Another HK-style one is in an alley parallel to Roosevelt at Gungguan, on the Dingzhou Rd side, just opposite the intersection of Hsin Sheng S. Rd. and Roosevelt. Sorry I can’t be more precise.
Don’t know if they have the noodles but they have some nice dim sum, etc.
Do you mean those fried noodles mixed with seafood, or sometimes beef? If yes then the stirr-fried (seafood) noodles at some Thai places may fit your requirement, at least they taste close to the ‘Penang Char Kueh/Kway Teow’ that you can find in Malaysia. There is one place in the food court of Idee at the Zhongshan MRT station.
That old place? The one on the dog-leg just past the basement Wellcome? Damn, time I went back there. And yes, they do sell very good fried non-soupy noodles. Their cha-shao also 'aint too shabby. Go hungry. Portions are vast IFAIR.[/quote]
BINGO! Yup, that’s the one sandman The menu is pretty standard HK-ese. We went with someone from HK and other Cantonese speakers (but me ) and got the real deal. Their congee selection is just fantastic. Like you were in HK again. Meals are NT$70-80. Special dishes at the most $200. It’s a great find. Perfect for lunch after Sunday service [/quote]
I’d have to give this HK style place a 
for their crispy fried noodles. It was on the wet-side :stinkyface: I may try again and tell them light on the sauce. The Nanshijiao Dim Sum place serves it proper.