Guangyuan Steamed Cold Noodles

Guangyuan Steamed Cold Noodles

　　Guangyuan Steamed Cold Noodles, also known as Guangyuan Cold Noodles, are a specialty of Guangyuan City in Sichuan Province. They are only produced in Guangyuan City and a few neighboring counties and towns. The taste and texture gradually decline the farther they are from the city center, and there are no producers outside of Guangyuan City. Their appearance is similar to that of Shaanxi’s cold noodles (liangpi), but their main ingredient is rice instead of flour. Guangyuan Cold Noodles have a smooth, refreshing, and pleasantly cool taste.

　　— Empress Steamed Cold Noodles are also called “Couple’s Rice Cold Noodles.” Legend has it that before Empress Wu Zetian entered the palace, she and her childhood sweetheart, Chang Jianfeng, often strolled along the river bend. There was a noodle shop at the ferry crossing, and they always stopped by for a bowl of noodles. They frequently talked with the shop owner about how the noodles were made and thought it would be wonderful to have a type of cold noodles in the summer. So, together with the noodle shop master, they experimented and finally developed a soft, delicious, and chewy yet non-sticky rice noodle using rice slurry. Wu Zetian and Chang Jianfeng were so happy that they hugged each other, prompting the noodle shop master to jokingly say to the young couple, “Why not call these noodles ‘Couple’s Rice Cold Noodles’?” Coincidentally, it was also Wu Zetian’s birthday, and thus Couple’s Rice Cold Noodles were born. The dish spread from there and became a beloved local specialty. Later, Wu Zetian was selected by Emperor Taizong of Tang to serve as a concubine in the capital, Chang’an. Bound by imperial decree, she had no choice but to leave for the capital. Even after becoming Empress, she never forgot “Couple’s Rice Cold Noodles” and ordered her imperial chefs to prepare a bowl for her on every birthday until the end of her life. These steamed cold noodles are made from premium rice, offering a chewy texture and refreshing taste. They can be eaten in various ways, but the most common method is to place the cold noodles in a bowl and mix in seasonings such as soy sauce, vinegar, chili, chili oil, sesame oil, sugar, ground Sichuan peppercorn, and mashed garlic. The resulting blend features the five flavors of sour, sweet, numbing, spicy, and fragrant, embodying a rich Sichuan taste.