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Roasted Rapeseed Oil (Caiziyou)

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Mala Market exclusive
We have upgraded our sweet potato noodle product to include 400 grams each of medium-weight, round noodles and wide flat noodles in each package, which is approximately six servings of each style. This is the perfect duo for Sichuan natives, true noodle connoisseurs, and those looking for interesting gluten-free noodles.
Sweet potato noodles, made from just sweet potato starch and water, have a springy, chewy texture that stands up to liquid, which makes them quite distinct from rice or wheat noodles. Also called glass noodles in English, they don't get sticky or gooey or fall apart but retain their bite and heft, while also being a slippery challenge for chopsticks. Many of us think they are the perfect noodle.
According to local lore, sweet potatoes have been grown in the Wulong district of greater Chongqing since their arrival from the New World in 1593. The area has long been known for its starch noodles made from ruby potatoes and spring water, and they have even been designated Chongqing Intangible Cultural Heritage. As tradition dictates, the Wulong Shaofen company still uses stone mills to grind the starch for its noodles at the beginning of a 16-step process. 
A visit to a market in Chongqing or Sichuan reveals that sweet potato noodles, called hongshu fen or fentiao, are eaten in dozens of shapes and sizes. (See photo of a display we saw in a Chongqing supermarket.) We've sourced these to be the star of soups such as suan la fen (sour and spicy noodle soup). They can be used in place of wheat or rice noodles in all kinds of soups, in fact, and are an ideal addition to hot pot, since they release much less starch than other noodles. 
We also love the round ones in a stir-fry (similar to Korean jap chae) or subbed for bean thread noodles in the famous "ants climbing a tree." And northern China loves them simply stir-fried with cabbage, as in this recipe from our affiliate Omnivore's Cookbook. Glass noodles make a delicious  liang fen, or cold noodle salad, as well. 
The wide, flat noodles are a popular choice for hot pot, where they are added at the end to make a kind of noodle soup with the hot pot broth. They are so popular that some shops serve "hot pot noodles" without the hot pot!
Prep noodles by soaking in warm water for at least 15 minutes, or until softened. For hot pot, cook soaked noodles directly in the pot. For other uses, boil soaked noodles until soft, around 8 to 10 minutes. Rinse under cold water until cooled and add to soups or stir-fries. 
Source: Chongqing Wulong Shaofen GroupSize: 28.2 ounces (800 grams); 400 grams each of medium round and wide flat; approx. 12 servings totalIngredients: sweet potato starch, water
Non-GMO, Vegan, Gluten-Free

Chongqing Sweet Potato Noodles (Glass Noodles, Hongshu Fen, Fentiao) | Pasta & Noodles

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Fragrant-Hot Ground Chilies (Sichuan Chili Flakes, Xiang La La Jiao Mian)

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Mala Market exclusive
We sourced these wide rice noodles from Guangdong specifically so we—and you— can make chow fun anytime and anywhere we want. 
Cantonese chow fun—fresh wide rice noodles stir-fried over high heat with little more than soy sauce, bean sprouts and, usually, beef—is one of the world's great noodle dishes. But it is hard for most of us to replicate at home because it requires just-made noodles. Freshly steamed rice noodles must be eaten the day they're made, as refrigeration turns them into stale bricks that are nearly impossible to use. But just because most of us don't live near a source of freshly made rice noodles does not mean we should have to go without chow fun. 
We asked our Sichuan team to try out various brands of dried wide rice noodles sourced directly from Guangdong to find one that could stand in for fresh noodles. Of course fresh is better, but these dried noodles are miles better and easier to work with than fresh noodles that have been refrigerated and will scratch that chow fun itch anytime you have it. 
These semi-wide, flat noodles, called ho fun (or he fen in Mandarin), are made in Shaoguan, a city in northern Guangdong, bordering Hunan. Shiny and semi-transparent, they are made only of rice flour and water according to local traditions and methods then formed by hand into bundles weighing 65-75 grams, or 2-2.5 ounces. 
This is a large bag of noodles (because that's how they sell them), and it will make about four plates of chow fun or other stir-fried noodles or 12 bowls of soup noodles (another good use!). Soak noodles in warm water until pliable. A brief 30-second boil will further hydrate them in preparation for stir-frying. 
Source: Shaoguan Meizhiquan Rice Flour ProductsSize: 35.3 ounces (1 kilogram)Ingredients: rice flour, water
Non-GMO, Vegan, Gluten-Free

Guangdong Wide Rice Noodles (Ho Fun, He Fen for Chow Fun) | Pasta & Noodles

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