China
Food
Travel
Guilin has so much more to offer than just streaming rivers and oddly warped karsts. It often takes tourists by surprise with its impressive assortment of local delicacies, notably the Guilin Rice Noodle.
Guilin Rice Noodle or Guilin Mifen is a noodle dish extensively consumed in Guilin, a picturesque city in northeast Guangxi. It is plenty and cheap, tasty, and loaded with delectable flavors.
Fresh and pickled vegetables are served in generous portions on a table at the corner of the shop, and diners are free to add whatever they want. Every type of topping contributes a distinctive texture and flavor to the dish, so it is highly recommended that you put in a little (or a lot) of everything.
Typically sold in three sizes: small, medium and large (一两；二两；三两）
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The Beauty of Guilin Rice Noodles 桂林米粉
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| The Beauty of Guilin Rice Noodles 桂林米粉 |
Guilin has so much more to offer than just streaming rivers and oddly warped karsts. It often takes tourists by surprise with its impressive assortment of local delicacies, notably the Guilin Rice Noodle.
Guilin Rice Noodle or Guilin Mifen is a noodle dish extensively consumed in Guilin, a picturesque city in northeast Guangxi. It is plenty and cheap, tasty, and loaded with delectable flavors.
A street
food and family meal since the establishment of the Qin Dynasty 2000 years ago,
it has survived the test of time to reign as the most popular dish in Guilin
and its neighboring cities. It can be consumed as breakfast, dinner, or lunch,
and offers the ultimate culinary satisfaction thanks to the large variety of
toppings and accompanying condiments.
 |
| Guilin Rice Noodles 桂林米粉 |
Guilin Rice Noodle 桂林米粉
This is a dish loved by practically everyone – from playful toddlers to manual laborers
– and can easily be found on any street in Guilin. The white
strips of rice noodles are soft and smooth with different thickness and forms. Made using rice flour
starch, they are either round or flat, and are served in a plain, mild broth
which has been slow-boiled for hours with cinnamon sticks, ginger slices, meat
and tangerine peels.
The most
unique feature of this dish lays in the interesting choices of toppings, which
include sour bamboo shoots, pickled green beans, roasted peanuts, pickled soy
beans, pickled cabbage, scallions, coriander leaves, dry toasted chili flakes,
pickled white radish, served alongside slices of meat, typically pork or beef.
Since there isn't a standard recipe for the beloved Guilin Rice Noodles, the taste varies in every shop. This makes it an adventure of its own, hopping from shop to shop to find one most appealing to your taste buds!
 |
| Guilin Rice Noodles 桂林米粉 |
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| Guilin Rice Noodles toppings |
Fresh and pickled vegetables are served in generous portions on a table at the corner of the shop, and diners are free to add whatever they want. Every type of topping contributes a distinctive texture and flavor to the dish, so it is highly recommended that you put in a little (or a lot) of everything.
Typically sold in three sizes: small, medium and large (一两；二两；三两）
For related travel stories, click here.
Food
Travel
Around the World in 20 Dumplings
Dumplings are
magical.
These fulfilling
bite-sized chunks can be turned into an entrée, or simply as an accompanying
dish. In the form of dough pockets, they come in countless variations, have either
a sweet or savory filling, and are enjoyed unconditionally across the world.
Listed
below is a list of the world’s 20 most beloved dumplings, great and small.
Ravioli (Italy)
Ravioli are
small pasta envelopes filled with ground meat, vegetables, or cheese. The
filling varies according to the region: Ricotta cheese and spinach in Rome, fish
and greens in Liguria, nettles in Tuscany, and ricotta cheese with grated lemon
rind in Sardinia.
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| Italian Ravioli Image source: glutenafoods.com |
Shishbarak (Lebanon)
Packed with
intense flavors from the Lebanese 7-Spice (mixture of paprika, black pepper, cloves,
cardamom, nutmeg, coriander and cumin), these meat dumplings (typically beef)
are then cooked in yogurt sauce infused with subtle aromas from cilantro,
garlic and mint.
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| Lebanese Shishbarak Image source: heneedsfood.com |
Momo (Nepal and Tibet)
The Nepalese
enjoy their buffalo momos, while the neighboring Tibetans love their momos
stuffed with yak meat. A substitute of beef, pork, or vegetable is possible, as
long as the fillings are thoroughly spiced with standard constituents such as turmeric,
cumin, coriander, garlic, and ginger. Served alongside a delicious tomato dip
known as achar.
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| Nepali Momo Image source: www.ekplate.com |
Wonton (China)
Wontons feature
a delectable combination of soft, velvety skin and delicate meat filling, served
in a fragrant broth usually accompanied by thin egg noodles. The best
variation, in my opinion, is the Sichuanese wontons known as Chao Shou. They
are served in large bowls doused liberally in tongue-numbing chili oil that has
been flavored with local peppercorn and pungent black vinegar sauce.
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| Sichuanese Wonton |
Manti (Turkey)
These tiny dumplings are filled with equally tiny portion of minced lamb, onion and
garlic, and are served coated with smoked paprika in a thick, creamy yogurt. They
are heartily enjoyed throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
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| Turkish Manti |
Bryndzové Halušky (Slovakia)
Made using
potatoes, this classic Slovak dish is served with a type of local sheep cheese
known as Bryndza and is handsomely topped with yummy, fattilicious bacon. It is
appointed as the national dish of Slovakia for obvious reasons.
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| Slovakian Bryndzové Halušky |
Pierogi (Poland)
The
crescent-shaped Pierogi has got to be the most versatile dumpling in the world –
with fillings varying from anything savory (sauerkraut, cheese, potato, or meat)
to anything sweet (chocolate, blueberry or plum). They are first boiled before
being baked or fried.
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| Polish Pierogi |
Komle (Norway)
Also known
as klubb, coumpa, or raspeball,
these savory dumplings are made using Norway’s national vegetable: potatoes, wrapped
over bits of ham or bacon. They make the perfect winter dish when paired with rich,
creamy buttermilk.
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| Norwegian Komle Image source: smakebiten.com |
Modak (India)
Presented in
the shape of tear drops, these Indian dumplings are kneaded rice flour stuffed
with coconut and jaggery (unrefined whole cane sugar). In Maharashtra of
western India, the sweet dumplings are offered to Lord Ganesh every August during
a Hindu festival known as Ganesh Chaturthi.
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| Indian Modak Image source: sandhyasudhir |
Pelmeni (Siberia)
Easily distinguishable
through its thicker casing, Pelmeni can only be filled all things savory, such
as meat, mushrooms, vegetables, or cheeses. They are boiled before being served
with sour cream, melted butter, and green onions.
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| Siberian Pelmeni |
Gyoza (Japanese)
With fillings prepared using ground pork and vegetables,
these fried Japanese dumplings are made with thin wrappers. It is said that the
best gyozas can be found in holes-in-the-wall outside of subway stations in
Japan!
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| Japanese Gyoza Image source: ichibansugarland.com |
Khinkali (Georgia)
These Georgian
dumplings feature a delightful combination of ground beef, pork, chili pepper,
fenugreek and cilantro. Khinkali should be consumed using one’s bare hands in
Georgia, as the use of utensils is considered impolite.
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| Georgian Khinkali Image source: www.georgianjournal.ge |
Bánh bột lọc (Vietnam)
Made from
tapioca flour and filled with a shrimp and pork mixture, these delicious
dumplings get much of their flavors from the addition of green onions and fish
sauce seasoning. When cooked in banana leaves, the tapioca wrappers turn translucent,
giving them a chewy texture – a perfect contrast to the savory filling.
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| Vietnamese Bánh bột lọc Image source: nau.vn |
Maultasche (Germany)
The large
Schwabian dumplings are dutifully loaded with spiced meat, breadcrumbs,
spinach, and a variety of herbs, and are either cooked in a broth, or
pan-fried. They consist of a outer-layer of pasta dough, and is typically
larger than the Italian raviolis.
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| German Maultasche Image source: www.nudelheissundhos.de |
Mandu (Korea)
Nothing
shouts “Korean” more than Mandu – dumplings filled with minced kimchi, tofu,
carrot, garlic, leeks, green onion, bean sprouts, and seasoned with garlic,
ginger, and brown sugar. There are a few ways in which they are served – fried,
steamed, or boiled in soup. Mandu are folded into circular shapes – a technique
considered unique in Northeast Asia.
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| Korean Mandu |
Kroppkaka (Sweden)
Filled with
smoked pork, onions, and cracked pepper, these Swedish dumplings are usually served
with the local lingonberry jam or cream. Other but less common stuffing
includes eel, smoked goose breast, and Baltic herring.
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| Swedish Kroppkaka Image source: lantmannen.se |
Kreplach
A specialty
of the Ashkenazi Jewish in Eastern Europe, Kreplach is a dumpling dish stuffed with
ground meat and mashed potato boiled and served in chicken soup, or fried. It is
said that the thinner you can roll the wrapper, the better.
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| Kreplach Image source: kosherlikeme |
Carimañola (Colombia)
Carimañola is a Colombian fried meat-pie in the shape of a torpedo, stuffed with cheese and seasoned ground meat. Often served as breakfast in Colombia and Panama, they are usually accompanied by suero, a local fermented milk based condiment similar to yogurt.
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| Colombian Carimañola Image source: www.mycolombianrecipes.com |
Buuz (Mongolia)
These steamed dumplings are typically stuffed
with ground mutton, onion, and garlic, while the wrappers are made from a
mixture of barley, wheat, and buckwheat. This dish is traditionally eaten at
home on Tsagaan Sar, the Mongolian New Year.
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| Mongolian Buuz Image source: Wikipedia |
Cepelinai (Lithuania)
Heavy, gluey, and exceedingly filling, these stuffed
potato dumplings hailing from Lithuania are made from riced potatoes, stuffed
with ground meat, and drenched in sour cream and pork rinds. The name is
derived from the word Zeppelin, due to its resemblance to the shape of the
airship.
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| Lithuanian Cepelinai |
The variation of dumpling is countless and still growing, but one thing's for sure - these little balls of dough are love at first bite, regardless of where they are made!
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