Old Friend Rice Noodles（老友粉）
apparently this dish was created for a loyal customer (old friend) when he was ill... 🥹
I’m not sure exactly how the stars aligned, but I recently had the rare opportunity to briefly dive into the intricate world of the Chinese Cheongsam.
If you’re new here, you might be wondering why a food publication is pivoting to fashion. But hear me out: this is part of our series, What Do You Want To Eat?, where food is our universal language of exchange. In return for a Cheongsam, I promised Master Li a taste of her hometown in Nanning, Guangxi: a bowl of Lao You Fen (老友粉), aka “Old Friend Noodles.”
Master Li has been working tirelessly since she was nine years old, starting as an apprentice to her mother. Back then, sewing buttons and sleeves wasn’t a hobby or a passion, it was a means of survival to ensure there was food on the table. Even after decades of running her own business, she shares that holidays are a luxury she can’t afford to take. Unlike seasonal trends, the Cheongsam is a perennial classic, meaning she works nearly 365 days a year to ensure her customers aren’t left waiting. Hearing her story, I felt a deep sense of awe. It’s no wonder skilled seamstresses are becoming a rarity in Singapore; the level of dedication required is remarkable. This bowl of noodles was no longer just a request, I wanted to make it a memorable one, to celebrate her retirement, and the long-overdue taste of home.
I’ll be honest—I was nervous. I had never tasted, let alone cooked, Lao You Fen before. To prepare, I compiled Master Li’s description of the dish and spent hours scouring recipes online to understand its soul. It’s a dish defined by its “funk”—an unapologetic punch of fermented black beans and pungent pickled bamboo that results in a broth that is sour, spicy, and incredibly refreshing.
Her verdict? A resounding “taste of home.” While she noted that the noodles weren’t quite the right kind, as it was a near-impossible find in Singapore, she was delighted to find her favourite pickled bamboo in the mix. Seeing her face light up made every minute of research worth it!
I don’t think I’ll ever see this dish the same way again, especially after learning its history. Legend has it that the recipe was first created by a tea master for a loyal customer—an “old friend”—who had fallen ill. The master whipped up these spicy, sour noodles in hopes of a quick recovery. It’s a dish born out of care, and after sharing a bowl with Master Li, I can see why it’s still mending hearts today.
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Lao You Fen a.k.a Old Friend Rice Noodles（老友粉）
(serves 2-3)
2 tbsp oil
100g pickled bamboo shoots, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 heaped tbsp Chinese fermented black beans (豆豉), minced
1 tbsp chopped fermented chillies (more if you like spicy!)
300g rice noodles (we used laksa beehoon)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp black rice vinegar
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 litre water + more for blanching noodles
1 tsp chicken stock powder
2 tsp sugar
salt, to taste
1 large boneless chicken thigh, sliced
150g chicken liver, cleaned well
3 sprigs sliced spring onion, for garnish
marinade for chicken & liver
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp oil
directions
first, combine the marinade ingredients into a bowl and mix well. place the sliced chicken and liver separately into 2 bowls. split the marinade into halves and massage into both meats. set aside for at least 10 minutes.
in a hot wok / pot on high heat, add 1 tbsp oil and stir-fry the marinated chicken until lightly browned, for about 30 seconds. set chicken aside onto a plate.
turn down the heat. add another tbsp oil and saute the minced garlic together either the black beans for 10 seconds. then, toss in the sliced bamboo shoots and chopped chillies and saute for another 30 seconds to bring everything together.
pour in the soy sauce, black rice vinegar and oyster sauce and mix well. ass 1 litre water along with chicken stock powder and bring the soup to a boil.
turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes. then, add sugar and salt & adjust seasoning if necessary. the soup should be a balance of umami and sour from the vinegar and fermented items. the sugar should just be enough to balance out the acidity.
combine the seared chicken slices and liver and simmer for another minute.
in a separate pot, boil water and briefly blanch the rice vermicelli until soft. drain noodles well and assemble into a bowls. pour over the soup with the meat pieces. garnish with spring onion and enjoy!
if you are looking for more soup that will heal the soul, here are some of our other recipes!
Crab Egg Drop Soup - more than just for healing
now I don’t know about you but if there’s a category of dishes that could heal any physical ailments, or an aching heart, it would be SOUPS (for legal reasons, we’re just kidding.. pls go talk to your doctor/therapist).
Watercress Soup (西洋菜汤）
it’s been a hot minute since I last learned a new soup recipe from my grandmother. previously, she taught me how to make my all-time favourite Apple Pork Soup—and honestly, I never thought making soup could be that easy!
