Noodle · Boiled

Suanla Fen (Hot and Sour Sweet Potato Noodles)

📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

The noodles aren't rice or wheat at all — they're pure sweet potato starch, which gives them their springy, translucent, almost gummy bite.

Chewy, translucent sweet potato starch noodles are boiled and served in a tangy, spicy broth built from chili oil, vinegar, and Sichuan peppercorn, topped with peanuts and cilantro.

Why it's made this way: The starch noodles were originally a way to use a cheap, abundant local crop, and the sour-spicy broth cuts through the region's humidity.