Yunnan Split Pea Soup (稀豆粉)
Kunming-style Xidoufen, a Yunnan breakfast classic.
Split pea is a very versatile ingredient that you can do so much with. In China, you can see them from a deep-fried crunchy appetizer, to toppings to many Sichuan noodles, or over to wandouhuang, one of the most classic desserts in Beijing. But, it's in the southwest, especially in the swath from central Yunnan down into the south and west, and even cross the border to Shan states in Burma... that's really split pea country.
Over there, you can find see tofu-esque split pea liangfen that's eaten in many forms, or split pea jelly noodles, split pea chips, split pea fritters... and so on. And of course, one of the most classic and common breakfasts in Yunnan is a pudding-esque split pea porridge that's called xidoufen. It's a very tasty and nourishing way to start the day, and a perfect base for us to embark on our Yunnan split pea adventures.
The three ways of making Xidoufen
To make xidoufen, there're generally three routes you can go. The first route is using whole peas that involves soaking, grinding, washing, settling, and cooking. It's the most traditional way but it can be pretty intense especially if you're making a big batch.
The second route is the quickest and the most convenient - instant Xidoufen in flour form. What it is is skinned dry peas ground into powder - all you need to do is mix and cook. You may be able to find it at Myanmar grocers or some Chinese supermarkets may carry it.
And the third route, which is something in between the first two, and the route that we're going today, which is using yellow split peas. The process is kinda similar to the traditional way of using whole peas, but because these are already skinned, we can be a whole less paranoid about extracting the starch and protein. And this is the route that we’ll be going today.
Making the Xidoufen
Split peas (去皮豌豆), 100g
Water: after soaking, weigh your strained peas (should swelled to something like ~200g), and add enough water to reach 400g total. Besides this, an additional 400g will be used during washing
Process:
Thoroughly wash your split peas until the water runs clear. Fill up with water to cover an inch over the peas, then soak overnight (or at least 8 hours) in the fridge.
Strain the peas. Weigh your strained peas to see how much water they've taken on (your 100g peas should've swelled to ~200g). Pour enough water in with your split peas to get to 400g total of peas+water. Blend this mixture together for ~4 minutes until smooth.
Pass the blended mixture through a cheesecloth to strain. Set the milky strained liquid aside.
Tie up the cheesecloth with the solids into a 'ball'. In a separate bowl, 'wash' the 'ball' with 200g of water as if you were washing clothes. After a couple minutes, the water should be milky, so set it aside. Repeat with the final 200g of water - combining the two 'washed' liquids. These thinner liquids will be what we begin the cooking process with.
Over a medium high flame, add the thinner liquids and cook, stirring constantly. Once they begin to look a bit opaque, ~5 minutes, begin to add in the thicker liquid from the initial pre-wash straining. Stir well before adding in, as it will have likely settled. Drizzle in bit by bit, stirring constantly - being sure to reach the bottom with your stirring motion. Once it's in, continue to cook over a medium flame for ~10 minutes, or until the xidoufen can 'lay on top of itself' as you drizzle it in.
Toppings and Serving
Three toppings will need to be prepared in advance.
Chili oil. Mix 2 tbsp Lao Gan Ma with 2 tbsp of oil and fry over a medium flame until red and fragrant, ~2 minutes.
Ginger water. Pound 1 inch of ginger together with 1/8 tsp of salt. Add in ~2 tbsp hot, boiled water and mix.
Garlic Oil. Fry ~3 large cloves of minced garlic in with ~1/4 cup of peanut oil over a medium low flame. After about 5 minutes or so, the garlic should be lightly golden brown. Remove the garlic and the oil.
Then, for each serving of xidoufen:
Salt, 1/8 tsp
MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp
Chili oil from above, 1 tbsp
Soy sauce (生抽), 1/2 tsp
Toasted sesame oil (麻油), 1/2 tsp
Garlic oil from above, 1/2 tbsp
Ginger water from above, 1/2 tbsp
Crushed toasted/roasted peanuts, ~1/2 tsp
Toasted sesame seeds (熟芝麻), ~1/2 tsp
Scallion and cilantro, a sprinkle of each