Xiangyang Thin Blade

Xiangyang Thin Blade

　　Xiangyang Thin Blade is a famous Han Chinese snack from Xiangyang City, Hubei Province. It is said to be related to Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms period. The preparation method involves steaming highly elastic coarse flour dough for 15–20 minutes. It is then served with ingredients such as black fungus, very finely and long-cut shredded carrots, tender shredded meat, and shredded red and green bell peppers, which are then pressed into noodles about one-third the thickness of a pinky finger using a special tool and stir-fried.

　　Legend

　　It is said that when Guan Yu led his troops on a military campaign, he was worried about the food going bad if he brought too much. So, he baked cooked dough (also called scalded dough, made with hot water) into flatbreads for easy transport. However, soldiers couldn’t keep eating these dry flatbreads for long—it was time to change the flavor. So, they decided to slice and stir-fry them. But time was of the essence on the march, so Guan Yu took out his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, tossed the baked flatbread to the ground, and with a few swift “swish, swish, swish...” slashes, the flatbread was chopped into thin slices scattered all over. And thus, “Xiangyang Stir-Fried Thin Blade” was born—ha!! Just a legend, of course.

　　The recipe has since been modified. There’s no need for scalded dough anymore, nor is the dough first baked into flatbreads. Instead, the dough sheets are boiled before being stir-fried. It may look similar, but the taste is far from the same, and the traditional method has gradually been lost over time.