18 years: Achang cook carries on traditional Guoshou rice noodle

As the food documentary “Once upon A Bite” gets popular around China, the Achang people’s Guoshou rice noodle (or cross-the-hand rice noodle) has drawn more and more attention from the audience.

Guoshou rice noodle originates from Husan Town, Longchuan County, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture. It is the delicacy of Achang people. And it gets the name because people eat it barehanded.

In 2000, Lin Zhengliang, a cook of Guoshou rice noodle, left his hometown Husan for Mang City, capital of Dehong prefecture, where he opened the Yuanzhi Husan Guoshou Rice Noodle Restaurant.

Today, the Yuanzhi Restaurant has developed into one of the most popular restaurants in Mang City. Behind the delicacy, there are Lin Zhengliang’s persistence in carrying on the traditional Achang cooking skills and local people’s love for their hometown.

Born and growing up in an Achang village, Lin has a special love for Guoshou rice noodle. Under the instructions from his father’s generation, Lin has become a master in cooking the rice noodle. “As a homemade delicacy of Achang people, Guoshou rice noodle is a signature dish whenever there is an Achang wedding banquet,” said Lin.

Guoshou rice noodle is famous for its various ingredients. Among them, the grilled pork is worth mentioning. “How delicious the meat will be is largely dependent on how proper the temperature is. You need to ensure the juice to be contained in the meat, making it taste fresh and tender,” Lin introduced.

“If you eat barehanded, the rice noodle will be more appetizing. With chopsticks and bowls, you can eat one bowl. But no chopstick and bowl, you can have two,” Lin said, the food tastes differently when you enjoy it in different ways.

In 18 years, Lin insists on using Husan-produced ingredients to cook Guoshou rice noodle in Zhiyuan Restaurant. “Only these ingredients from Husan can be cooked into genuine Guoshou rice noodle,” Lin said, maybe delicacies also have their own “roots”. According to him, the Guoshou rice noodle is part of Achang people’s life. “If you cook the noodle with ingredients from other places, you will lose its soul and weaken its vitality.”

(Daguan Weekly)