Century-old History of Jinggang Rice Noodles 靖港米粉的百年历史

靖港作为曾经的重要水运口岸，南来北往的各色人等势必登岸入镇，饱尝靖港的美味佳肴，同时也把外地的各类吃食以及米粉的加工制作方法推介给了靖港。
once serving as an important water transport port, Jinggang welcomed different kinds of people always on the move, who would land and experience delicious food of Jinggang and bring in food of all varieties from other places and the processing method of rice noodles to Jinggang.
靖港米粉，算来已有数百年历史。旧时靖港最有名的米粉馆玉春楼便始创于清朝乾隆年间，而从前长沙的北正街、西长街、太平街的数十家米粉店，便是靖港人开的。当时长沙、宁乡、湘阴以及对河铜官的许多招牌米粉店，皆通过船运购买靖港加工的米粉皮，经过了“芦花水”的滋润和精工细作的靖港米粉皮，才能撑起他们的招牌而生意兴隆。
Jinggang rice noodles have a history of hundreds of years. The most famous rice noodle restaurant in Jinggang – Yuchun Restaurant was built in the period under the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. Previously, dozens of rice noodle restaurants opened along Beizheng Street, Xichang Street and Taiping Street in Changsha were run by Jinggang natives. Back then, many famous rice noodle restaurants in Changsha, Ningxiang, Xiangyin and Tongguan on the opposite side of the river bought rice noodle processed in Jinggang by water as only rice noodle processed in Jinggang exquisitely with the moistening of “Luhuashui” (waves stirred up in Lujiang River as beautiful as reed catkins) can make their business grow and prosper.
旧时，靖港米粉所用稻米要早稻粒谷米，磨出的粉，细嫩，粘性好，韧度适中，为加工米粉之最佳。米要淘洗得无丝毫泥沙和残留糠皮，干干净净。从前玉春楼、长春阁等靖港知名米粉馆，还有专人挑拣米中无法淘洗掉的谷粒，以确保米粉的洁白无瑕。无了瑕疵的米用清水泡发，掺适量现饭，湿磨成粉，再蒸。蒸有专用的蒸盘，为铝制品，圆底浅边，像是一面锣。蒸的要求也十分严格，过生则粉皮易碎，过熟则粉皮不嫩。蒸熟后的粉皮还要趁热从蒸盘中一张张揭下来，搭在竹篙上，使其汽水挥发，凝固而不粘。把粉皮切成粉丝则需刀功，先把粉皮卷成条状，一刀刀切下去，每根粉丝皆宽窄一致方为高手，若切得宽窄不一，夹到汤碗里后，外观上首先就打了折扣，而且影响食欲。
In old days, rice used to make Jinggang rice noodles was early season rice as noodle produced therefrom is tender with good stickiness and proper tenacity. Rice must be cleaned up without any sediment and residual bran. It’s said that famous rice noodle restaurants, such as Yuchun Restaurant and Changchun Restaurant, arranged dedicated staff to pick and choose grains which couldn’t be washed away, in an effort to ensure pure white and flawless rice noodles. Cooking steps are as follows: raise flawless rice, mix rice with certain leftover, wet grind to powder and then steam. Exclusive aluminum steamer which has round bottom, shallow edge like a gong, was used. There are strict requirements on steaming. If under-steamed, the sheet jelly is fragile; if over-steamed, the sheet jelly will not be tender any more. Then, tear off sheets of steamed sheet jelly when they are hot; put them on bamboo spar so that the vapour water will be volatilized, thus, making the sheet jelly freezing yet non-sticky. A good slicing technique is necessary to slice the sheet jelly. First, roll the sheet jelly into a strip and slice it. If every noodle is made even in width, the one must be a master-hand. If not, when noodles are put in the soup bowl, it will be not that beautiful and will affect appetite.
靖港米粉的汤最是讲究。白白的米粉本是淡而无味之物，若无鲜汤几乎难以下咽。鲜汤乃猪骨熬成，是为“原汤”。从前靖港街上各家屠行的猪骨，均被面粉馆订购了去。各米粉馆的大灶旁，都安置着专门用来熬骨头汤的砂锅，乳白色的汤汁在锅内微微地沸滚着，散发着诱人的鲜香。吃米粉的顾客来了，舀一勺原汤在预先放好酱油、盐、葱花、芫荽的碗里，然后把烫热的米粉夹到碗中，原汤之鲜和葱花之香渗入米粉丝中，淡而无味之物顿成鲜而爽口的美食。何况还有盖码：酱汁、牛肉、牛杂、三鲜、猪蹄、猪肚丝、红烧肉……任君选取。
The soup of Jinggang rice noodles is the most tasteful. White rice noodles are tasteless and inedible without fresh soup. Boiled with swine bone, fresh soup is called “original soup”. All of the swine bones of every slaughter house in Jinggang were ordered by rice noodle restaurants. Alongside the brick kitchen range of various restaurants, casserole was placed exclusively for boiling bone soup. Milky soup is boiling in the pot, sending tempting fragrance. The service steps as: scoop up a spoon of original soup into the bowl, with soy, salt, chopped green onion, and Chinese parsley put in advance, pick up hot rice noodle into bowl, when the fresh soup and fragrant green onion penetrate into rice noodles, the tasteless food immediately become delicious and tasty gourmet. In addition, there are shredded additions for you to choose, such as sauce, beef, beef offal, seafood, pork trotter, shredded pig bag, bouilli, among others.