Guilin Rice Noodles Recipe Classic And Traditional Style
Guilin Rice Noodles (also called Guilin noodles, Guilin rice vermicelli, mifen, Chinese name is 桂林米粉 Gui Lin Mi Fen) is a traditional Chinese snack in Guilin, Guangxi, China. It also belongs to Guilin cuisine and is a snack with a long history, well-known for its unique flavor. Before our Guilin rice noodles recipe, we will like to share a story about this recipe.
History of Guilin Rice Noodles Recipe
There are many legends about these noodles. According to legend, Guilin rice noodles were produced in the Qin Dynasty(lasting from 221 to 206 BC). To unify China, Qin Shi Huang (he was the founder of the Qin dynasty, and first emperor of a unified China. ) sent Tu Sui to lead an army of 500,000 to fight in South Vietnam and then sent Shi Lu to lead migrant workers to dig a canal(also call Lingqu, Chinese name is 灵渠 Lin Qu) to communicate with the Xiang River and the Li River to solve transportation problems. The Xiang River and the Li River are the rivers in Guangxi province nowadays.
Lingqu
The ethnic minorities of South Vietnam are brave and tough, and they are not convinced by King Qin. The army of Qin did not take off their armor and weapons for three years. But they were unaccustomed to the climate of a new place and coupled with the difficulty of food supply. There were a large number of soldiers who often starved and fell ill. These soldiers from the northwest of China were eating wheat noodles but the southern is rich in rice.
The Army Of Qin
The chef created a new dish to solve that problem according to the principle of making northwest glutinous rice noodles. First, They swell the rice, grind it into a rice slurry, drain the water, and knead it into a dough. Then the noodles are steamed half-cooked, and then pounded in a mortar and pestle for a while. Finally, the noodles are squeezed out manually and they are directly poured into a pot of boiling water, and cooked.
Some Chinese Herbal Medicines Can Be Spices
Besides, the doctor of the Qin army used local Chinese herbal medicines and decocted them into anti-epidemic soup for soldiers to take to solve the acclimatized problem. For the sake of health care and due to the tension of the war, the soldiers often took rice noodles and medicinal soup mix together to eat. Over time, the embryonic form of Guilin rice noodle brine has gradually formed. Later, it experienced the improvement and processing of the rice noodle seller and became the unique flavor of Guilin rice noodle brine. That’s why we can taste the more fragrant flavor from Guilin noodles.
Different Guilin Rice Noodles
In the Qing Dynasty (also called the Great Qing, which was the last dynasty in the imperial history of China.), Guilin rice noodles developed to their heyday. Many merchants selling Guilin rice noodles produced many rice noodles because the competition is too big. It promoted the Guilin rice noodles becomes the most popular Chinese noodles.
Today’s Guilin rice noodles are well-known at home and abroad. It is not only a representative of Guilin food culture but also a representative of Chinese traditional food culture. Now it has become a city card of Guilin. Today I will teach you how to make a bowl of classic and traditional Guilin rice noodles most conveniently and efficiently.
If you like to watch the detailed video guide, you can watch it below.
How To Make Guilin Rice Noodles
Step 1: Prepare Soybean
Firstly, we should prepare 100g soybeans one night in advance. Use water to wash soybeans. Then add 1 teaspoon salt, enough water into the bowl. Stir them evenly. We can also adjust the taste to our flavor by tasting the water. Then immerse them for at least 10 hours.
Prepare Soybean
Step 2: Prepare Ingredients
Second, we should prepare ingredients. Cut 1 leek into pieces. Then save them for later. Cut 6 slices of ginger. Then save them for later. Cut 50g pickled red peppers into pieces. Then save them for later.
Prepare Ingredients
Step 3: Prepare Eggs
Next, we should prepare 3 eggs. Firstly, put eggs into the pan. Then add enough water to immerse them. Then use medium fire to boil them. After the water has boiled, use a small fire to cook it for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, drain them and put them into the cold water to immerse for 3 minutes. Then drain and shell them.
Prepare Eggs
Step 4: Prepare Sirloin
Next, we should prepare 500g sirloin. Cut sirloin into pieces. We can also cut it into the pieces we like. Then save them for later.
Prepare Sirloin
Step 5: Braise Sirloin And Eggs
Next, we should braise sirloin and eggs. Add 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon sugar into the pan. Then use a small fire to stir fry them. After the sugar become dark and have foam, add sirloin into the pan. Stir fry them evenly. Then add 5 bay leaves, 5g Chinese cinnamon, 5g Sichuan peppercorns, 5g star anise, 5g fennel, leek, ginger into the pan. Stir fry them for 2 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 3 tablespoons light soy sauce into the pan. Stir fry them evenly.
Braise Sirloin And Eggs
Step 6: Prepare Pickled Cowpea
Next, we should prepare 200g pickled cowpea. Use water to wash pickled cowpea twice. Then cut them into pieces. Then add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, 1 teaspoon chili powder, half pickled red peppers into the pan. Stir fry them until fragrant. Then add pickled cowpea into the pan. Stir fry them for 1 minute. It can help us to maintain the crispness of pickled cowpea. Then save them for later.
Prepare Pickled Cowpea
Step 7: Prepare Pickled Sour Bamboo Shoot
Next, we should prepare 100g pickled sour bamboo shoot. Use water to wash pickled sour bamboo shoot twice. Then add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, 1 teaspoon chili powder, half pickled red peppers into the pan. Stir fry them until fragrant. Then add pickled sour bamboo shoot into the pan. Stir fry them for 1 minute. Then add 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt into the pan. Stir fry them evenly. Then save them for later.
Prepare Pickled Sour Bamboo Shoot
Step 8: Prepare Lettuce
Next, we should prepare 1 lettuce. Use water to wash lettuce. Then add enough water into the pan. Use a big fire to boil it. After the water has boiled, add lettuce into the pan to blanch for 30 seconds. Then drain and put them into the cold water to wash. Then save them for later.
Prepare Lettuce
Step 9: Cook Guilin Rice Noodles
Now we can start to cook Guilin rice noodles. Add enough water into the pan. Use a big fire to boil it. After the water has boiled, add Guilin rice noodles into the pan. We should also stir them from time to time to avoid sticking the pan.
Cook Guilin Rice Noodles
Then cook it until easy to chop it off with chopsticks. Then drain them and put them into cold water to immerse for 3 minutes. Then drain and put them into the bowl. Then add some lettuce, some pickled sour bamboo shoot, some pickled cowpea, some soybeans, half egg, some sirloin, enough braised soup into the bowl. Then we got the delicious Guilin rice noodles. The noodles are very smooth. Hope you can try it at home.
Delicious Guilin Rice Noodles
Cooking Tips For Guilin Noodles
- The rice noodles themselves should not be cooked for a long time. If they are cooked for too long, they will break and the taste will not be good.
- We can add any ingredients we want according to our taste. We can add some chili oil and fried peanuts or sour radishes, green onions to adjust the noodles.
- The Guilin noodles are salty enough and we don’t put any salt.
FAQs About Guilin Mifen
How To Eat Guilin Noodles?
There are many ways to eat Guilin noodles. You can follow the steps above to eat it. Or choose other ways to try a new taste below.
Dry Mix: This way of eating is rice noodles and brine. Then stir evenly and add the ingredients to start eating. Its brine is thicker than our brine above. It uses many spices and bones to make the brine.
Semi-dry Mix: This way of eating is also rice noodles and brine. But use the thinner brine than the dry mix brine. This is the authentic way to eat Guilin rice noodles and not dry, not greasy.
Eat-In the Soup: This is our recipe. It is popular that the two ways above that can suitable for more people’s taste.
How Do You Keep Mi Fen Noodles From Sticking Together?
Mi Fen Noodles are made of rice. They will become sticky after heating. We should also stir them from time to time to avoid sticking together. After that, we should use cold water to wash the cooked mi fen noodles that can lower the temperature and avoid sticking together.
Should You Rinse Rice Noodles After Cooking?
Yes, It can keep the rice noodles more tender and avoid sticking together. Some noodles store shops will use cold water to rinse them and put them into the cold water to store. When the client orders the new rice noodles, they can quickly prepare the rice noodles for you.
How Long Do You Soak Rice Noodles Before Cooking?
After soaking, the rice noodles don’t need much time to cook. Our recipe doesn’t soak the rice noodles because we cook them for a long time. If you want to cook it quickly, you should soak it one night in advance.
Ok, that’s our Guilin rice noodles recipe today. China has types of rice noodles. Choosing your favorite Chinese rice noodles is not hard work. If you have any problems with this recipe, please let me know.
Guilin Rice Noodles Recipe
Ingredients(affiliate link)
- enough Guilin rice noodles according to your servings
- 100 g soybeans
- 6 tablespoons of sunflower oil
- 1 leek
- 6 slices of ginger
- 50 g pickled red peppers
- 3 eggs
- 500 g sirloin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 5 bay leaves
- 5 g Chinese cinnamon
- 5 g Sichuan peppercorns
- 5 g star anise
- 5 g fennel
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 bunch of green onions
- 200 g pickled cowpea
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 100 g pickled sour bamboo shoot
- 1 lettuce
Instructions
- Firstly, we should prepare 100g soybeans one night in advance. Use water to wash soybeans. Then add 1 teaspoon salt, enough water into the bowl. Stir them evenly. We can also adjust the taste to our flavor by tasting the water. Then immerse them for at least 10 hours.After 10 hours, drain the soybeans. Then put the soybeans into the pan and fry the water over medium heat. After that, add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into the pan. Then stir fry them over low heat. After they become burnt yellow, it means that the soybeans are cooked. Then save them for later.
- Second, we should prepare ingredients. Cut 1 leek into pieces. Then save them for later. Cut 6 slices of ginger. Then save them for later. Cut 50g pickled red peppers into pieces. Then save them for later.
- Next, we should prepare 3 eggs. Firstly, put eggs into the pan. Then add enough water to immerse them. Then use medium fire to boil them. After the water has boiled, use a small fire to cook it for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, drain them and put them into the cold water to immerse for 3 minutes. Then drain and shell them.
- Next, we should prepare 500g sirloin. Cut sirloin into pieces. We can also cut it into the pieces we like. Then save them for later.
- Next, we should braise sirloin and eggs. Add 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon sugar into the pan. Then use a small fire to stir fry them. After the sugar become dark and have foam, add sirloin into the pan. Stir fry them evenly. Then add 5 bay leaves, 5g Chinese cinnamon, 5g Sichuan peppercorns, 5g star anise, 5g fennel, leek, ginger into the pan. Stir fry them for 2 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 3 tablespoons light soy sauce into the pan. Stir fry them evenly. Then put them into the saucepan. Then add eggs, enough water into the saucepan. Use big fire to boil them. After the water has boiled, use a small fire to cook it for 1 hour. We should scum the bubble when the water is boiling. After 1 hour, add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 bunch of green onions into the saucepan. Then continue to cook it for 30 minutes. Then drain the eggs. After the eggs become cold, cut them in half. Then save them for later.
- Next, we should prepare 200g pickled cowpea. Use water to wash pickled cowpea twice. Then cut them into pieces. Then add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, 1 teaspoon chili powder, half pickled red peppers into the pan. Stir fry them until fragrant. Then add pickled cowpea into the pan. Stir fry them for 1 minute. It can help us to maintain the crispness of pickled cowpea. Then save them for later.
- Next, we should prepare 100g pickled sour bamboo shoot. Use water to wash pickled sour bamboo shoot twice. Then add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, 1 teaspoon chili powder, half pickled red peppers into the pan. Stir fry them until fragrant. Then add pickled sour bamboo shoot into the pan. Stir fry them for 1 minute. Then add 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt into the pan. Stir fry them evenly. Then save them for later.
- Next, we should prepare 1 lettuce. Use water to wash lettuce. Then add enough water into the pan. Use a big fire to boil it. After the water has boiled, add lettuce into the pan to blanch for 30 seconds. Then drain and put them into the cold water to wash. Then save them for later.
- Now we can start to cook Guilin rice noodles. Add enough water into the pan. Use a big fire to boil it. After the water has boiled, add Guilin rice noodles into the pan. We should also stir them from time to time to avoid sticking the pan. Then cook it until easy to chop it off with chopsticks. Then drain them and put them into cold water to immerse for 3 minutes. Then drain and put them into the bowl. Then add some lettuce, some pickled sour bamboo shoot, some pickled cowpea, some soybeans, half egg, some sirloin, enough braised soup into the bowl. Then we got the delicious Guilin rice noodles.
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