Guizhou Jianfen (Sliced Rice Noodles)

Guizhou Jianfen

　　Guizhou Jianfen

　　Guizhou Jianfen, produced by families or small workshops across the province, is entirely handmade with no additives.

　　Plain Jianfen is a purely green snack. With its unique flavor that is sour, spicy, refreshing, soft, delicious, and appetizing, it appeals to people's taste buds. Among many snack options, it remains popular and holds a notable place. In recent years, it has expanded beyond its local region, brought by some migrant workers from Luodian to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. This distinctive snack, with its unique Luodian local flavor, continues to earn praise and affection from locals.

　　The main ingredient for making plain Jianfen is rice (preferably high-quality varieties, with “Guicao Rice” being the top choice nowadays). The preparation method is relatively simple: first, wash the selected rice thoroughly and soak it in cold water for eight hours (reduce soaking time by half if using warm water). Then, mix the rice with water and cooked rice at a ratio of 1:2.5:0.1 kilograms, grind them into a slurry, and store it in a container. Next, place a specially made cedar wood steamer (measuring 52 cm in length, 45 cm in width, with three to five tiers per frame and 10 cm spacing between each tier) on a 100–110 cm diameter wok. Pour one-third of the wok’s capacity with water, bring it to a boil, then use a small spoon to scoop about 0.05 kg of the rice slurry and pour it into a noodle tray (the tray is 50 cm long and 35 cm wide). Shake the tray gently to let the slurry flow naturally and evenly cover the bottom. Then insert the tray into the steamer through the side opening (a special tray opening), and steam for three minutes before removing. Take the cooked rice noodles off the tray, fold them in five layers, and then use scissors with a 10 cm opening to cut them into 1 cm-wide strips, placing them one by one into a bowl (this is the origin of the name “Jianfen,” meaning “sliced noodles”). Finally, add your choice of condiments and it’s ready to eat.