Description
A soul food beloved alongside beef noodles in Lanzhou, designed to survive the summer. 'Jiang Shui' is a naturally sour juice created by soaking celery and cabbage in noodle boiling water (starch) and lactic-acid fermenting it for days. Hand-pulled noodles are eaten in this intensely tart soup. The ultimate detox noodle.
Restaurants serving Jiang Shui Mian (Lanzhou Fermented Celery Noodles)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Hand-pulled wheat noodles
- Jiang Shui(Fermented celery juice)
- Dried red chilies
- Sichuan pepper
- Garlic
- Salt
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Brewing Jiang Shui - The Magic Liquid) Blanch celery (or cabbage). Place the veg in a crock with a splash of old Jiang Shui (starter) and [hot noodle boiling water] (the starch feeds the fermentation).
- Cover and leave in a warm place for 3-
- days. Lactic acid bacteria multiply, turning the water cloudy and emitting an intense, 'refreshing tartness' (a fruity sourness unlike vinegar). This is 'Jiang Shui'.
- (Soup Prep) Heat oil in a wok. Fry Sichuan pepper, garlic, and dried red chilies until highly aromatic.
- Violently splash the finished 'Jiang Shui' (celery and sour liquid) into the wok. Season with salt and turn off the heat.
- (Noodles) Boil hand-pulled thin noodles, shock in cold water, and plate.
- Pour the hot (or chilled) Jiang Shui soup heavily over the noodles.
- Garnish with cilantro and homemade chili oil.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Pure tartness from lactic fermentation、Charred Sichuan pepper aroma
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Boil celery in apple cider vinegar and Kombu broth for sour soup)
Pairing
Boiled potatoes / Rou Jia Mo(Chinese Burger)
Trivia
[Trivia] To Northwest locals, Jiang Shui is the 'Fountain of Life'. Brewed in every home's crock as a panacea that aids digestion, instantly cures hangovers, and beats summer heat. A crystallization of China's astonishing fermentation culture, creating sourness purely through nature without using vinegar.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Sip the soup; unlike the sharp sting of vinegar, it spreads a 'stomach-refreshing tartness' closer to yogurt or pickles. Even in the dead of summer when appetite vanishes, you can infinitely slurp these noodles.
Allergen
Wheat, Celery