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''Shahe fen'' (沙河粉), or simply ''he fen'' (河粉), is a type of wide Chinese noodle made from
rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
. Its Minnan Chinese name, translated from the Mandarin 粿條 (''guotiao''), is adapted into alternate names which are widely encountered in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
, such as ''kway teow'', ''kwetiau'', and ''kuetiau''. ''Shahe fen'' is often
stir fried Stir frying () is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and ...
with meat and/or vegetables in a dish called ''chao fen'' (炒粉; pinyin: chǎo fěn). While ''chao fen'' is a transliteration of Mandarin, ''chow fun'' from
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
(see the main article at
beef chow fun Beef chow fun, also known as gōn cháau ngàuh hó or gānchǎo níuhé in Chinese (乾炒牛河) meaning "dry fried beef Shahe noodles", is a staple Cantonese dish, made from stir-frying beef, ''hor fun'' (wide rice noodles) and bean sprout ...
) is the name most often given to the dish in Chinese restaurants in North America.


Names

While ''shahe fen'' and ''he fen'' are
transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...
s based on Mandarin, there are numerous other transliterations based on
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
, which include ho fun, hofoen (a Dutch transliteration in Suriname), hor fun, sar hor fun, etc. In addition, ''shahe fen'' is often synonymously called kway teow (), literally "ricecake strips", transliteration based on Minnan Chinese, POJ: kóe-tiâu) or in Mandarin, guotiao (Mandarin pinyin: guǒtiáo), as in the name of a dish called ''
char kway teow ''Char kway teow'' () is a stir-fried rice noodle dish from Maritime Southeast Asia and is of southern Chinese origin. In Hokkien and Teochew, ''char'' means 'stir-fried' and ''kway teow'' refers to flat rice noodles. It is made from flat r ...
''. However, ''shahe fen'' and ''kway teow'' are strictly and technically not the same (the latter being essentially ricecakes sliced into strips) and the Minnan people in general still consciously make a distinction between ''shahe fen'' and ''guotiao/kway teow'' in their speech. ''Hor fun'' was perfected by the Cantonese and is thin and tapered like strips of tape, with some porous areas that absorb the gravy, taste, and flavour of the broth or sauce that it is cooked in because it contains less starchy content, which has been stripped away during the production process. In contrast, ''guotiao/kuay teow'' is dense, and less absorbent and contains a higher level of starch and is more impermeable to absorbing flavours, and thus has to be soaked for a longer period of time in the dish preparation usually for a day or more, or is soaked in water first for a long time before it is fried as ''char kway teow''. The taste, texture, flavour, ingredients, length, thickness, width, style, density are very different for Chinese and Asian palates, but most foreigners may not be able to tell the difference immediately. ''Guotiao/kway teow'' has a different origin from ''shahe fen'' , from Northeast instead of Central China, and is a modification of the ''guo/kway'' (ricecake) production process, and originated as the ancient preservation of rice as a starch-filled cake patty (of which Korean rice strips are yet another descendant, as it was brought as a recipe from China to Choseon dynasty when the Emperor of China during the Ming dynasty took the Korean princess as one of his concubines, and this recipe was gifted to the people of Choseon as a betrothal gift to the Korean people). In Hokkien (Fujian) of China, this version of ''guotiao/kway teow'' was then influenced by the Cantonese ''shahe fen'' from the neighboring province of
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
. Cantonese culture from the 17th century onwards was thought of as the dominant culture of civilization and culture, of wealth, excess, and sophistication, so the ancient ''guotiao/kway teow'' underwent modification to become similar to the standard Cantonese ''shahe fen/hor fun''. However, these two versions (''guotiao/kway teow'' vs. ''shahe fen/hor fun'') were spread to Southeast Asia and the world differently, thus they are presented differently in different dishes. Good Chinese restaurants do not mix up or confuse the two, but more casual versions of Chinese takeout often use the two interchangeably. Original ricecakes and its strips (i.e. authentic ''guotiao/kway teow'') are stiff in texture, even after cooking, making them unpopular with modern consumers. Another similar noodle confused by Westerners is the ''nee tai mak'' which is like the ''hor fun'' and the ''bee hoon'' combined with Milanese pasta. It is also known in
Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...
as ''da fen'' (), means "wide
vermicelli Vermicelli (; , , also , ) is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In English-speaking regions it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is typically thicker. The term ''vermicelli'' is also used to ...
", due to its similarity of colour and texture to
rice vermicelli Rice vermicelli is a thin form of noodle. It is sometimes referred to as 'rice noodles' or 'rice sticks', but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different Asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch rathe ...
. These noodles are called guay tiew sen yai ( th, เส้นใหญ่, meaning "large rice noodles") in Thailand, kwetiau in Indonesia and
pho Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat (usually beef (), sometimes chicken ()). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants ...
in Vietnam as its counterpart version.


Origin

''Shahe fen'' is believed to have originated in the town of Shahe (), now part of the
Tianhe District Tianhe District () is one of the eleven districts of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province. In Chinese, the name Tianhe literally means "a river in the sky/heavens", which is also a Chinese name for the Milky Way. It is bordered by Yuexi ...
in the city of
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
, in the southern Chinese province of
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
, whence their name derives. ''Shahe fen'' is typical of southern Chinese cuisine, although similar noodles are also prepared and enjoyed in nearby
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
n nations such as
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
,
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
,
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, all of which have sizeable Chinese populations.


Types

''Shahe fen'' noodles are white in color, broad, and somewhat slippery. Their texture is elastic and a bit chewy. They do not freeze or dry well and are thus generally (where available) purchased fresh, in strips or sheets that may be cut to the desired width. Where fresh noodles are not available, they may also be purchased packaged in dried form, in various widths. ''Shahe fen'' noodles are very similar to Vietnamese '' bánh phở'' noodles, which are likely derived from their Chinese counterpart. Although the ''phở'' noodles used in soups may vary in width, wide ''phở'' noodles are also common in stir fried dishes. The popular Thai dishes ''
phat si-io Phat may refer to: People *Huỳnh Tấn Phát (1913–1989), South Vietnamese politician and revolutionary *Lâm Văn Phát (1920–1998), Vietnamese army officer *Phat Wilson (1895–1970), Canadian amateur ice hockey player *Richard Temple-Nug ...
'' and drunken noodles are also made with similar noodles.


Chao fen

''Shahe fen'' is often
stir-fried Stir frying () is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and t ...
with meat and vegetables in a dish called ''chao fen'' (炒粉; pinyin: chǎo fěn). While ''chao fen'' is a transliteration of Mandarin, ''chow fun'', from Cantonese, is the name to which this dish is most often referred in Chinese restaurants in North America. Image:Beefchowfoon.jpg, Beef chow fun


See also


Gallery

File:Steam Sa Ho Fan with Grouper.jpg, Steam Shahe Fen with Fish File:Food 乾炒牛肉河粉, 大直小館, 台北 (15987593631).jpg, Fried Shahe Fen with beef


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shahe Fen Cantonese cuisine Chinese noodles Hong Kong cuisine Singaporean cuisine