Jiangxin inheritance Zhiwei rice noodle

Huang Tianling used a stone mill to grind the soaked rice into rice slurry, which was used to make raw pressed rice noodles. Reporter Coboo Liang photo

Speaking of breakfast in Nanning, rice flour is a well-deserved "top flow". In the complicated world of rice noodles, raw rice noodles have won the preference of Nanning people for their unique slightly sour taste.

Nanning’s time-honored Guyuanxiang daily raw rice noodle shop is very popular on major food recommendation websites. Huang Tianling, the operator, is a representative inheritor of Nanning’s raw pressed rice noodle making skills at the autonomous region level, and also the fifth generation of raw pressed rice noodle making skills in the family. In 2016, the production technology of raw pressed rice noodles in Nanning was included in the sixth batch of representative projects of intangible cultural heritage at the autonomous region level.

To understand a bowl of Nanning raw rice noodles, we should start with the production of rice noodles. This is a very exquisite manual work. Before a bowl of traditional raw pressed rice noodles is produced, it has to go through many processes, such as soaking rice, fermenting, grinding, drying, kneading, cooking, mashing and pressing. "Every step is very critical, and if one link is not done well, it will affect the finished product and taste of rice noodles." In the factory area of Nanning Guyuanxiang Catering Management Co., Ltd., Huang Tianling introduced the production process of raw pressed rice noodles to reporters.

The soaking time of rice depends on the weather, and the soaking time is different in summer and winter. After the rice is saturated with water, the water is drained before the next step-fermentation, which is also the source of the "sour taste" of raw rice noodles. "The fermentation temperature is 37℃ and the humidity is 65%. If it is not well controlled, it will affect the quality of rice noodles." Huang Tianling covered the soaked rice with cloth and waited for the "birth" of the strain.

The fermented rice is ground into rice slurry, put in a cloth bag to drain water and press dry, then knead the rice flour dough into grapefruit shape, and cook in a pot until the skin of the rice flour dough is 1-2 cm thick and cooked.

"The heat requirement is particularly accurate. If the rice noodles are cooked too well and cannot be squeezed, they will have to be redone." Huang Tianling said that making raw rice noodles not only tests physical strength, but also tests patience and technology.

In the milling step, put the cooked rice flour dough into a stone mortar, and mash it into a paste that does not stick to your hands, which becomes the rice flour dough used for milling. Finally, put the rice flour dough into the squeezer, and the rice flour will come out in strips and fall into the hot pot. After cooking, use a colander to pass cold water, and then the bowl can be served.

Pour a tablespoon of minced meat in the bowl, pour soy sauce paste on it, and then add chopped green onion, perilla, sour bamboo shoots, sour beans and other condiments according to personal taste, and a bowl of raw rice noodles will be done.

Huang Tianling watched her parents make raw rice noodles since she was a child. This bowl of flour is both a livelihood and a life. 40 years ago, Huang Tianling inherited the production skills of the older generation and turned a roadside stall into one of the best brands of raw rice noodles in Nanning.

"When non-legacy foods enter people’s lives, inheritance will be natural and natural." In Huang Tianling’s view, the core of intangible cultural heritage protection is people, but also people’s skills and knowledge. In 2014, Huang Tianling established Nanning Guyuanxiang Catering Management Co., Ltd. and established a modern large-scale catering central kitchen.

With the changes of the times, the old milling tools have already evolved into mechanized modern equipment. In the rice noodle making workshop of the company’s factory area, the machine rumbles, and nearly 500 kilograms of fresh and wet rice noodles can be produced every day, and about 3,000 bowls of rice noodles can be made.

Old-fashioned tools come alive. Although mechanical operation has greatly improved the production efficiency, every step of making rice noodles needs manual intervention, and the time and humidity of soaking rice and fermentation need to follow the traditional regulations. In recent years, Huang Tianling and her team have worked hard to develop many "special equipment" for raw rice noodles to help the rice noodle production process to be refreshed and upgraded.

The taste of rice noodles is "alive". "The legacy is not static, and it should also keep pace with the times." Huang Tianling said that the biggest difference between raw rice noodles and other rice noodles is the sour taste. Through the improvement of equipment and production links, today’s rice noodles are more accurate and stable in quality, and are more suitable for the tastes of foreign tourists and young people.

The way of inheritance is "alive". Huang Tianling often goes to school to teach students the traditional production skills of raw rice noodles, explain the relevant knowledge of raw rice noodles, and also build a non-genetic inheritance base of raw rice noodles with Zhuangzhi Road Primary School in Nanning. "It is our important responsibility as a non-genetic inheritor to carry forward China’s excellent traditional culture and intangible skills." Huang Tianling said that she has caught up with a good era of cherishing and encouraging intangible heritage. The network communication brought by policy support and social media has also made more young people fall in love with intangible heritage and inherit it.

"In order to make it convenient for everyone to eat a bowl of authentic raw rice noodles at home, we made a dry powder prefabricated bag to make the freshly squeezed delicious’ go further’. However, for diners who love glutinous rice flour, only by going to the scene and going to the local area can they eat that authentic and homesick rice noodle. " Huang Tianling said.