Guogou Rice Noodles Introduction
In the early morning light, the Chengyuan area is filled with crowds eager to buy, and after the rush subsides, the products are pushed to the temple entrance, often selling out within an hour before 8 AM. This is the legend of "Guogou Rice Noodles." The founder, Zhuang Jinhua (born in 1938), had to support her family after the unfortunate passing of her son and her daughter-in-law, Yu Liangying (also known as Ah Yue), went out to work. Zhuang Jinhua started selling bowl rice cakes while taking care of her three young grandchildren. Later, her sister taught her the secrets of making rice noodles, leading her to switch to selling rice noodles instead. Initially, Zhuang Jinhua sold them from a lead bucket while walking the streets, later transitioning to a push cart, and eventually settling at the temple entrance to sell. In 2010, as Zhuang Jinhua aged, her daughter-in-law Yu Liangying (Ah Yue) took over the business, continuing the legacy of "Guogou Rice Noodles" at the temple entrance. The process of making rice noodles is quite labor-intensive. The night before, pure glutinous rice must be soaked for five hours. She rises around 2 AM to grind the rice into a batter using a rice grinder, reserving a small portion for thickening. The rest is poured into a large cauldron and manually stirred and cooked until dry. Flour and sweet potato starch are mixed evenly in a blender to prepare the dough for cutting. Meanwhile, shallots are sautéed, and then dried shrimp, crispy shallots, and five-spice powder are added and sautéed again before being set aside. Water is added to the cauldron to cook...
