Kao Leng Mian (Grilled Cold Noodles)

Kao leng mian starts with a special cold-noodle sheet grilled on an iron plate, an egg cracked and spread over it, then rolled with sausage, onion and coriander, brushed with a sweet-sour-spicy sauce and cut into pieces, chewy in texture and rich with sauce.

Kao leng mian emerged from northeast streets in the late twentieth century, said to originate around Mishan in Heilongjiang, and quickly swept the whole northeast to become one of the most popular street snacks at night markets and school gates, near-essential at Harbin's night stalls.

Grilled to order and eaten hot by hand or on a bamboo skewer, sweet-sour and lightly spicy with chewy sheets, it is the classic snack to eat while wandering a night market.

The chewy grilled noodle sheet, the generous filling of sausage and egg, and the bold sweet-sour-spicy sauce are the marks of kao leng mian.