Yunnan Clay Pot Rice Noodles Recipe

If you’ve joined one of our multi-day trips in Yunnan, you know that we love our rice noodles. Most commonly eaten for breakfast, it’s the go-to comfort food for every Yunnanese, regardless of social or economic status. The streets are littered with rice noodle stalls throughout the entire province, yet each region (and sometimes each individual shop) has their own take. This recipe is from Fancy, a local Naxi minority woman who runs a cooking studio in Lijiang. You can join a cooking class with her on our 8-day trip from Lijiang to Dali!

This particular version (Yúnnán xiǎo guō mǐxiàn) is prepared in small clay pot. Each eater will get their own pot, but don’t worry – if you don’t have a clay pot sitting around your kitchen a small saucepan will do.

Rice is the primary staple food in Yunnan, but its high altitude made it quite difficult to cook thoroughly in ancient times (without a pressure cooker). The solution? Grind it up and turn it into noodles which are much easier and quicker to cook. The must-have ingredient added to all rice noodles bowls in Yunnan, regardless of region or shop, is Chinese pickled cabbage.