Fried rice noodles

What it is

Fried rice noodles (炒米粉, chao mifen, also written 米粉炒) are dried rice vermicelli softened in water, then tossed in a wok with shredded pork, cabbage, carrot, shiitake and dried shrimp. A good plate is loose and moist rather than clumped or soggy. Nearly every Taiwanese household has its own version.

Where it came from

Rice noodles belong to the rice-growing south of China, and the craft reached Taiwan from Fujian. In Hsinchu, the island's best-known noodle town, families from Hui'an county set up workshops in the Qing era.

In Fujian cooking the fried version is a banquet dish. In Taiwan it turns up at temple festivals and at open, help-yourself feasts (流水席), where it is carried out in large quantities for guests to take as much as they like. At home it was the dish many families cooked when relatives or friends dropped in without warning, because it could be made from whatever was in the cupboard.

It also has a place in Taiwanese politics. The noodles still taste good once cool, so campaign teams serve them to supporters at rallies. A Taiwanese saying mocks a busybody as someone who shouts "hot!" while other people are eating their rice noodles.

How it is made

The dried noodles are soaked until pliable and drained. Dried shrimp go into plenty of oil, followed by pork, mushrooms and the vegetables, then soy sauce, pepper and a splash of stock. The noodles go in last and are tossed with long chopsticks, because a ladle's edge cuts the strands, until they have taken up the liquid. Too much liquid leaves them heavy. Noodles with a high rice content taste more of rice but break easily, so they need a gentle hand.

How to eat it

It works as a light meal on its own or as one dish among several at a family meal or banquet. Some people add sweet bean sauce or chilli sauce, and some cooks finish it with shallot oil and a little black vinegar. Ask for chao mifen (炒米粉).