Ding'an Fried Rice Noodles 定安炒粉

Ding'an Fried Rice Noodles (定安炒粉) are soft, smooth stir-fried noodles eaten for breakfast, as a late-night snack or as a main meal in Ding'an (定安). The county's version combines fresh meat, seafood, greens, shrimp paste, chopped scallions and soy sauce, with hot pickled-vegetable soup served alongside.

How it is made

One old-town version comes from Lao Yixiao (老一小), a family shop that began as a street stall in the 1980s. Here, bean sprouts, scallions, garlic and soy sauce go into an iron wok before the noodles are fried over high heat. A Cantonese-style braising sauce, with a slightly sweet flavour, is added on top.

How it is eaten

At Lao Yixiao, the noodles can include egg stirred into the wok or a fried egg added separately. Braised pork knuckle is another addition. These are later developments: the shop initially sold plain fried noodles, adding eggs and meat over time in response to local preferences.