Dongguan Rice Noodles

Dongguan Rice Noodles

　　Dongguan rice noodles are a specialty of Dongguan City in Guangdong Province. Among them, Daojiao rice noodles are the most famous. Dongguan rice noodles can be served in soup, stir-fried, or steamed—smooth, delicate, chewy, and never breaking apart, which makes them quite distinctive.

　　Dongguan is a land of fish and rice, and rice noodles are one of its standout specialties. Among the staple foods of Dongguan residents, rice noodles make up a significant portion of consumption. There are the round strands mentioned earlier, known as lai fen, flat ho fen, thin thread-like si fen, as well as coiled long strands. The ways to eat them are also extremely varied—just with ho fen alone, there are stir-fried ho fen, soup ho fen, and steamed ho fen. Change up the accompaniments with beef, roast goose, char siu, and you get endless variations. Just having a bowl of noodles for breakfast can offer a different experience every day of the month!

　　In addition, dried rice vermicelli is also one of the specialties. The most famous is the “Peacock Brand” rice noodles, which have a history of several decades. This brand was created in 1964 when the Dongguan Rice Products Factory successfully produced snow-white, silky, fine-textured square rice vermicelli that wouldn’t fall apart even after long cooking. Upon its release, it became hugely popular in Hong Kong and topped the list of the five top-exported Guangdong rice noodle brands. Then, in the late 1980s, the owner of a major Australian food company happened to try Dongguan rice noodles and was struck by their smooth texture, delicate taste, chewiness, and the fact that they didn’t break apart—very distinctive qualities. As a result, in 1993 he specifically traveled to Dongguan to find manufacturers, choosing two factories in Shilong and Boxia as partners, and began marketing Dongguan rice noodles in Australia. Now, Dongguan rice noodles can be found in hotels, restaurants, and fast-food outlets across major Australian cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. Later, they were also exported to 27 other countries including France, the former Soviet Union, and Japan.