In Hejiaba Village, Tongren City, in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou on the Chinese mainland, a culinary twist is transforming traditional lotus ponds into a lucrative green gold mine. Local residents have ingeniously blended freshly squeezed lotus leaf juice with flour to create a unique delicacy — lotus-leaf noodles. This innovative dish, with its jade-like sheen and vibrant natural green hue, is capturing the hearts of food enthusiasts far and wide. 🍃
Every dawn, as the lotus flowers burst into bloom over a sprawling 200-mu (about 13 hectares) sea of leaves, villagers led by Wu Yanlin carefully select the darker, richer leaves essential for that deep, distinctive color and flavor. After a thorough wash, the leaves are juiced and mixed with flour to form a dough, which is then rolled, flattened, sliced, and air-dried. The result? Noodles that are slippery, chewy, and imbued with a refreshing aroma that has quickly made them a summer staple, as local resident Zhao Qifeng notes.
This story of lotus-leaf noodles is a vibrant example of how local tradition and modern creativity can blend to revive rural communities. It’s a flavorful reminder that simple, natural ingredients can spark innovation and fuel economic renewal in even the most modest settings. 🌱🍜
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
