At the table
Choose your toppings, then lift noodles with chopsticks and sip the broth with a spoon.
The broth is hot and may be spicy. Shacha commonly contains shrimp, peanuts or sesame; check the sauce, not just the toppings.
Thin pork or beef and leafy greens are topping options. Xiamen alkaline noodles are wheat-based; toppings vary.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Thin pork or beef and leafy greens are topping options. Xiamen alkaline noodles are wheat-based; toppings vary.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savory and spicy
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Tender noodles.
- How it’s made
- Boil alkaline noodles and cover with hot shacha broth.
Thin pork or beef and leafy greens are topping options. Xiamen alkaline noodles are wheat-based; toppings vary.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Fujian.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有厦门沙茶面吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A Southeast Asian sauce finds a Xiamen noodle bowl
Xiamen shacha noodles carry a Southeast Asian route in both their name and broth. The word shacha came through Malay, and returning overseas Chinese helped bring sauce-making to Xiamen through local condiment shops. At the table, hot shacha broth is poured over cooked wheat noodles; thin pork or beef and greens are possible toppings. A sauce with overseas ties became part of a local noodle-soup tradition, with toppings that vary by bowl.
