"These noodles are incredible!! Amazing in a stir-fry!"–Nicolette A.
 

Yunnan province is renowned for its rice noodles, so we have gone straight to the source for these medium-thick, round noodles made simply of rice flour and water. As a general rule, Yunnan and the rest of southern China opt for fresh rice noodles when they can, with the caveat that they must be made by the factory and consumed by the eater within the same 24 hours. Otherwise, diners opt for dried noodles like these.

They are called guoqiao mixian, or Crossing the Bridge Noodles, after the famous Yunnan dish, but they are also of the type used in most all Yunnan mixian soups and salads. The Nanhuyuan brand is located in the town of Mengzi, where Crossing the Bridge Noodles were created, and the company makes nothing but fresh and dried rice noodles, honing its expertise over the decades. 

"Wow...such fantastic products! One might not imagine that the quality of dried noodles could make a difference, but I assure you, they do. I use a lot of Fuschia Dunlop's recipes, as well as Mala Market's, and our daughter-in-law's childhood favorites, and these noodles are top notch..."—Janet H.
 

We tasked our Chengdu team with finding the best of the best of each of our favorite noodle styles, representing Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan and Guangdong. They made bowl after bowl and wok after wok of noodles, testing and tasting before settling on these brands of wheat, rice and sweet potato noodles direct from the regions that made them famous and renowned factories that focus solely on noodle-making.

In China, 100 grams is the most common serving size of noodles; at that serving size, this collection will make 29 servings. However, serving sizes of some dishes (and for some people) are smaller, so there could be more.

Alkaline Wheat Noodles (Jianshui Wenzhou Mian), 454 grams: These are the ideal dried noodles for dan dan mian, Chongqing xiao mian and other Sichuan noodles because, like fresh Sichuan noodles—and unlike most Chinese dried wheat noodles—they include jianshui/kansui, an alkaline lye water that lends them body and bounce (as well as a yellow color). Medium-weight and round, as preferred in Chengdu, they are equally at home as soup noodles, dry noodles or cold noodles. (Note that they are also relatively high in sodium at 1000mg per serving.)

Wide Knife-Cut Noodles (Sun-dried Dao Xiao Mian), 450 grams: 

Chongqing Sweet Potato Noodles (Hongshu Fen, Fentiao), 400 grams: These medium-weight, round, sweet potato noodles are a favorite of Sichuan natives, true noodle connoisseurs, and those looking for interesting gluten-free noodles. They 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. We've sourced these to be the star of soups such as suan la fen (sour and spicy noodle soup) and the best choice for Sichuan hot pot, since they release much less starch than other noodles. Also good braised or stir-fried. 

Yunnan Rice Noodles (Mixian, Mifen), 500 grams: See above

Guangdong Wide Rice Noodles (Ho Fun, He Fen), 1,100 grams—yes, this is a very large bag!: Is there a better stir-fried noodle than Cantonese chow fun? We think not! But few of us live close enough to someone making freshly steamed rice noodles to buy them the same day they're made, which is a must. While fresh is always best for chow fun, these wide, flat dried noodles make a convincing stand-in, meaning you can have chow fun any time and any place you want. 

Visit individual product pages to learn more about each noodle, manufacturer and ingredients.

"Sooooo good! These Hainan fermented white peppercorns are so much better than the gound white pepper off of the supermarket shelf."—Ann N.
 

Our fermented white peppercorns are a product of Qionghai, on tropical Hainan Island, the famed source of China's best white pepper.

This large pepper mill—double the size of most brands—holds more than 4 ounces of white peppercorns and is always at the ready for those who crave hot and funky. The grinder top is also easily removable when you need access to whole peppercorns.

We also sell this white pepper in a 6 ounce bag. 

This Chinese Spice Collection includes four popular spices with a 10% discount off the individual prices! 

These four spices provide quintessential flavors to Chinese cooking and are used frequently in braises and stews, chili oil, hot pot and beyond. They are all single-origin spices—grown in a village or small growing area in Guangxi, Yunnan or Guangdong—and are used extensively throughout the country. 

Collection includes:

• Star anise (ba jiao), 2 ounces
• Cassia bark (gui pi), 2.5 ounces
• Sand ginger (sha jiang), 3.5 ounces
• Smoked cao guo (Chinese black cardamom), 3 ounces

See individual products for more description of each one, including provenance and uses.