Tongren Mung Bean Noodles

Tongren Mung Bean Noodles

　　Mung bean noodles have cooling and heat-relieving properties, making them especially popular among the people in the relatively hot climate of the Tongren region. The main ingredients of mung bean noodles are mung beans, glutinous rice, and regular rice, in a ratio of 3:3:4. The production process involves two main steps: grinding the batter and baking it on a flat pan. For grinding the batter: first soak the mung beans and remove their skins, then soak the glutinous rice and regular rice for 10–12 hours. After that, mix these ingredients and grind them into a smooth batter. Heat a flat pan over low flame, then use a brush dipped in oil to grease the edges of the pan. Scoop a ladleful of the batter and spread it evenly across the surface of the pan to form a pancake-like noodle sheet. Once cooked, peel it off the pan, let it cool slightly on a bamboo stick, fold it into a flat roll, and cut it into strips as wide as chopsticks. When eating, boil the fresh mung bean noodles in boiling water for about half a minute, then scoop them into a bowl and add seasonings. The seasonings for mung bean noodles are also quite special, including minced ginger, chopped scallions, Sichuan pepper oil, fermented bean paste, chili oil, and lard. The result is a dish that’s spicy, savory, soft, slippery, and refreshingly delicious. If available, you can replace the Sichuan pepper oil with prickly ash oil and the lard with matsutake mushroom oil for an even more fragrant taste. On a hot day, eating a bowl of mung bean noodles will leave you feeling refreshed and cool, with the summer heat instantly dissipating. (Tongren)