Dapeng Rice Noodle

Dapeng Rice Noodle

　　Dapeng Rice Noodle is mainly popular in the Dapeng Peninsula and surrounding areas, particularly represented by Dapeng Fortress. Built in the early Ming Dynasty, the fortress housed soldiers mostly from southern provinces who favored rice noodles. However, due to limited camp conditions, people improvised by soaking rice, pounding it into powder with a stone mill, then mixing raw and cooked powder with cold water to form a paste. This paste was directly poured into a coconut shell with a 2-centimeter hole drilled at the bottom. By shaking and jiggling the coconut shell, the rice noodle paste would flow into boiling water in an iron pot below. Once cooked, oil, salt, and seasonings were added before eating. Locals call the action of shaking the coconut shell to let the noodle paste flow out “lai,” and the noodles made this way are called “Rice Noodle (Lai Fen Zai).”

　　As for the history of Dapeng Rice Noodle, there is another folk story. It is said that in September 1839, Lai Enjue commanded the Battle of Kowloon against British invaders and achieved a major victory. Upon hearing the good news, Lai’s wife personally cooked Dapeng Rice Noodles to comfort the returning soldiers. Since then, the noodle has gained great fame, spreading far and wide along with the news of victory.