Sihong Hollow Noodles

Sihong Hollow Noodles

　　Sihong Hollow Noodles are a specialty of Sihong County in Suqian City, Jiangsu Province. These noodles are fine yet not greasy, with various flavors among different types. They are delicious, easy to digest, and make for a nutritious food suitable for all ages.

　　Sihong Hollow Noodles are a famous local product of Jiangsu Province. Their surface is smooth and round, with silver-thread-like tiny holes inside. If you pick one up at random, insert it into water, and you can blow out strings of bubbles; light a match underneath, and wisps of smoke will rise from the upper ends of the tiny holes. Originally produced in the ancient town of Shuanggou, they were called "Shuanggou Hollow Noodles." Legend has it that during the Zhenghe era of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Dai Nanfeng, a top scholar from Tianchang, was passing through Shuanggou on his way back to the capital after visiting his hometown. After tasting the Shuanggou Hollow Noodles, he was highly impressed and wanted to specially prepare some to offer to the emperor. He immediately discussed with the shop owner to use a local specialty—Huai River jade turtles—to boil broth for three days, take the original juice to mix with flour, and carefully craft the hollow noodles to present to Emperor Huizong Zhao Ji. The emperor was extremely pleased after trying them, and from then on, Shuanggou Hollow Noodles were listed as an imperial tribute, temporarily making them rare on the market.

　　In the 18th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, Crown Prince Zhu Biao, following his father’s order, led civil and military officials along with various craftsmen to build the ancestral mausoleum at Yangjiadun, not far from Shuanggou. Upon hearing that Shuanggou Hollow Noodles were delicate and tasty, he ordered Wang Menghui, the magistrate of Suzhou Prefecture, to go to Shuanggou in person to specially produce various types of noodles. These included jade turtle hollow noodles, crab roe hollow noodles, shrimp roe hollow noodles, chicken broth hollow noodles, and egg hollow noodles, amounting to several hundred pounds. He had attendants deliver them specially to the palace to honor his father and mother. It is said that when Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, held a grand banquet for his meritorious officials, he only offered each official a small bowl of Shuanggou Hollow Noodles.

　　Sihong Hollow Noodles can be made into over ten refined varieties using special ingredients, such as chicken broth noodles, shrimp roe noodles, egg noodles, jade turtle noodles, crab fresh noodles, and crab roe noodles. Each variety has its own distinctive characteristics. The hollow noodles are fine yet not greasy, with varying flavors among types. They are delicious, easy to digest, and make for a premium, nutritious food suitable for all ages.