A Putian specialty of thread-thin rice vermicelli stir-fried with pork, dried shrimp, Chinese chives, peanuts, and crumbled laver. The local dried vermicelli is prized as among the finest in China and cooks almost instantly, making this both an everyday staple and a banquet dish.
The dish is named for Xinghua, the historical prefecture (Xinghua Commandery, established 980; later Xinghua Prefecture, 1369) that governed present-day Putian and Xianyou. The thread-thin dried vermicelli has been a Putian specialty since the Northern Song and was exported by the Ming dynasty. Local tradition ties its invention to the building of the Mulan Weir dam under Qian Siniang in the eleventh century, when commandery official Li Zhen is said to have devised a quick-cooking rice product to feed the laborers; the dam is historical, the attribution is legend. Xinghua vermicelli was listed in Putian's municipal intangible cultural heritage register in 2009.
The strands stay separate and springy, each coated in a thin sheen of stock and oil rather than clumped or soggy. The first taste is savory-sweet from pork and dried shrimp, lifted by the raw bite of chives stirred in at the end; crushed peanuts add crunch and crumbled laver a whiff of the sea. A good plate looks glossy and loose; a failed one is pasty, broken, and grey.
The vermicelli is milled so fine that it hydrates in minutes; it is briefly soaked in hot water or boiled about three minutes, then rinsed in cold water and drained to firm the starch and stop it overcooking. Aromatics, meat, and seafood are fried first to build a savory base, then stock is added and the drained vermicelli folded in and braised over high heat until the liquid is absorbed, so each strand drinks up flavor rather than sitting in soup. Constant tossing and the oil coating keep the fine strands from sticking; chives and sesame oil go in last so they stay fresh and fragrant. Overcooking is the main risk, as the thin strands break and turn to paste.
Variations
Putian eats the vermicelli two main ways: stir-fried (this dish) and in soup, where the strands are cooked briefly in a meat or seafood broth. Common additions include shiitake, bamboo shoots, oysters dredged in sweet-potato starch, egg, and shredded chicken; a vegetarian version drops the meat and shrimp. The dried vermicelli itself, sold in coiled hanks, is the regional product the dish is built on.
On the Palate
Where Xinghua Fried Rice Vermicelli sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
6 steps · 15 min
- 14 min
Soak the dried vermicelli in hot water until just pliable, about 3 minutes, then rinse under cold water and drain well; loosen the strands by hand.
Watch outSoak only until the strands just bend without breaking, about three minutes, then shock in cold water — they finish cooking in the wok, so slightly firm now is right.
- 25 min
Shred the pork, soak the dried shrimp briefly, and cut the chives into short lengths; toast the peanuts and crush them coarsely.
- 33 min
Heat oil in a wok and fry sliced garlic, shallot, and the dried shrimp until fragrant, then add the pork and stir-fry until it changes color.
- 42 min
Add the laver and a ladle of stock, season with soy sauce, salt, and white pepper, and bring to a boil.
- 54 min
Add the drained vermicelli and toss over high heat, folding constantly until the strands absorb the liquid and the wok is nearly dry.
Watch outToss constantly over high heat until the liquid is drunk up and the wok goes nearly dry — the strands should glisten and be springy, not sit in a puddle.
- 62 min
Stir in the chives, drizzle with sesame oil, toss once more, and plate; top with the crushed peanuts.
