Xinyi Shiguanzui Rice Noodle Sheets 信宜食惯嘴粉皮

Xinyi Shiguanzui Rice Noodle Sheets (信宜食惯嘴粉皮) are thin steamed rice sheets, cut into strips and tossed with seasoning, from Xinyi (信宜) in Maoming (茂名), Guangdong. They come from Chidong Town (池洞镇) on the edge of the city and have been made for more than a hundred years. The name, which means roughly "used to the taste", belongs both to the dish and to Shiguanzui Village (食惯嘴村) in Chidong, and local accounts disagree on which came first.

Where it comes from

Older villagers quoted by Guangzhou Daily (广州日报) say a farmer surnamed Xie (谢) opened a snack shop beside the main road in Chidong during the Tongzhi reign (同治, 1862–1874) of the Qing dynasty and spent years perfecting a smooth, springy rice sheet. According to the story, a returning overseas Chinese from Malaysia said he must simply be used to the taste of home, the shop took the phrase as its name, and the village later took it from the shop. Xie passed his method to his descendants and neighbours, until every household in the village ran a rice-sheet shop, and branches later opened in Xinyi's urban area, Maoming and Guangzhou. Each morning diners queue outside a Shiguanzui restaurant on the stretch of National Highway 207 (207国道) that runs through the village.

How it is made

The rice comes from good winter-crop paddy (冬造黄谷), milled to white rice. It is soaked for an hour in a set proportion of water and ground twice, first coarsely and then finely. Other ingredients are added to the batter, which is steamed over a fierce fire into a thin white sheet like a sheet of paper; keeping it thin and judging the heat are the skills that matter. The steamed sheet is then cut into strips.

How it is eaten

The usual way is to toss (捞, lao) the strips with sesame seeds, soy sauce and chopped spring onion. The sheets can also be rolled or pan-fried, and a more elaborate version adds a filling of diced pork, chicken or seafood with Chinese chives and is steamed or fried. Whichever way it is served, it is best eaten hot. The strips are thin, tender, smooth and springy, and evenly cut.