Pi Du Mian (Nanjing-style Pork Skin Noodles):

link for eval: here

Description:

Pi Du Mian, or Nanjing-Style Pork Skin Noodles, is a savory and slightly spicy noodle dish crafted with ingredients such as pork skin, noodles, bok choy, and an array of delightful garnishes. It holds a cherished place in the hearts of Nanjing locals, representing a beloved local delicacy. The recipe for this dish varies widely across households and street food vendors, each offering its unique twist. Here, the version I'm sharing is the one I'm most familiar with growing up.

Ingredients:

Required Utensils:

• One pot for boiling
• One stir-fry pan or pot
• Basic utensils like bowls, knife, cutting board, and spatula

Ingredients:

• 200g noodles
• 100g pork liver (substitutable with Chinese sausages)
• 2 tomatoes
• 100g bok choy
• 20g salted spicy radish (optional)
• 50g shredded pork
• 50g wood ear
• 40g dried pork skin
• 400g chicken broth (you can make your own broth or use bought ones)
• A pinch of salt
• 30g Chinese cooking wine (optional)
• A pinch of potato starch
• Chinese spicy chili oil (optional, but recommended)

Key Information before you cook:

• Potential allergies: wheat (noodles), pork, alcohol (cooking wine), spicy chili oil
• Cooking time: approximately 60 minutes (30 minutes for preparation, 30 minutes cooking time for stir frying, boiling noodles, and making broth)

Instructions:

1. For preparation:
   1. Soak dried pork skin and wood ear in water till softens and cut into pieces (20 minutes)
   2. Marinate the shredded pork and pork liver with cooking wine, salt, and starch (set aside for 10 minutes)
   3. Cut tomatoes into slices and bok choy into pieces
2. Cooking:
   1. Stir fry the pork liver (sausages) until it changes color
   2. Prepare another pot of boiling water and cook the noodles
   3. Put broth in the stir-fry pot
   4. Put in everything besides shredded pork and liver
   5. Put in shredded pork until it's cooked
   6. Put in pork liver and wait till boil
   7. Add a pinch of salt and chili oil for seasoning

Sources and References:

This particular culinary tradition holds a special place in my hometown, which is why most of the available references are in Chinese. The recipe is a culmination of information gathered from various sources, as different families have their unique ways of preparing these noodles. I have taken on the task of translating these Chinese sources into the recipe and description, though it's important to note that some nuances may be lost in translation.

English source: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-08-28/70-Years-Inherited-Pork-skin-noodles-at-a-Nanjing-diner-JuPe5W6gBW/index.html

Chinese sources:
Documentary video reference [26:36-29:33]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZlzlYR3euw
Baidu wiki: https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%9A%AE%E8%82%9A%E9%9D%A2/8964953
Chinese recipe page: https://www.xiachufang.com/recipe/106467684/

Sample Imagery:

Links to Recipe Websites:

• Omnivore Cookbook

  A great website for going in-depth about "authentic" Chinese food recipes. In addition to the recipe itself, it also covers a wide range of topics regarding ingredients, process, and where to shop. Information-wise, it is a great website, although the layout could be improved.

• Serious Eats

  An ads-free recipe page (so rare), with interesting layouts, modern and bold color choices. While visually very engrossing, the visuals still serve the content well, very worth studying on a balance between visual and content.

• Smart Slow Cooker

  A website with minimal clicks to get to a recipe related to slow cookers. Easy to navigate and showing the theme (slow cooker) well. The display and search page are visually pleasing: not too crowded but present a lot of information at the same time very well.

Links to Non-Recipe Websites:

• Medium

  Strong visuals at first glance when entered, which shows one how this is a modern, design-oriented website. When I start scrolling, the content and layout are clean. Processing information and finding sources to read becomes a joy.

• BBDO

  A creative agency with a great example of a professional web page, showcasing their design to the audience (people who might need them to do a creative design) well. Interesting uses of the grid system in website design.

• Index Studio

  Another creative studio, shows contrast and scale in web page design. Very visually intense and interesting to spend time scrolling for nuanced design tricks through the website.