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Che Zai Mian (Cart Noodle)

Che Zai Mian (Cart Noodle) — street food from Hong Kong, China
📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

It began literally as food sold from a mobile pushcart parked on the street — the name has stuck even though shops today are storefronts, not carts.

Diners choose their own combination of noodles, broth, and toppings — fish balls, tofu skin, offal, greens — cooked together and served as one customized bowl.

Why it's made this way: The dish grew out of 1950s roadside hawkers serving cheap, customizable meals to residents of low-income housing estates.

Roughly what's in it

450kcal
20gprotein
55gcarbs
15gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
Read it in context →

More from China

Roujiamo (Braised Pork in Flatbread) Chuan'r (Grilled Meat Skewers) Youtiao (Fried Dough Stick) Tanghulu (Candied Hawthorn Skewers) Malatang (Self-Serve Spicy Broth) Beibingyang (北冰洋) Orange Soda
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.