At the table
Use a spoon to gather a few strands with the syrup and jelly, and chew the slippery noodles before swallowing. It can be served cool without ice. Stir gently so the ginger syrup reaches the strands.
The described starch, ginger, sugar and mesona-and-rice jelly preparation is plant-based. Check the actual jelly mixture and any additions if you have dietary restrictions; do not assume every serving is dairy-free or gluten-free. The strands are slippery and chewy, so take small mouthfuls and chew well.
The thickness of the strands, sweetness and ginger strength vary. Grass-jelly quantity and serving temperature also differ. These sweet starch noodles are distinct from savory dressed sweet-potato noodles and from a bowl of grass jelly on its own.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
The thickness of the strands, sweetness and ginger strength vary. Grass-jelly quantity and serving temperature also differ. These sweet starch noodles are distinct from savory dressed sweet-potato noodles and from a bowl of grass jelly on its own.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Light sweetness with fragrant ginger and a mild herbal note from the grass jelly.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Slippery, supple starch strands with a gentle chew, contrasting with smooth grass jelly and thin sweet syrup.
- How it’s made
- Sweet-potato starch is mixed with water, strained and heated into a batter. It is passed through small holes into boiling water to form strands, then cooked and cooled in water. Serve with ginger sugar water and broken grass jelly made from mesona herb extract and rice slurry.
The thickness of the strands, sweetness and ginger strength vary. Grass-jelly quantity and serving temperature also differ. These sweet starch noodles are distinct from savory dressed sweet-potato noodles and from a bowl of grass jelly on its own.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Hainan.
About this regional connection
Hainan: HainanDaily reporter Li Peng interviews Wanning starch-noodle vendor and local eater about the sweet dessert.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有海南番薯凉粉吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A sweet use for starch noodles
In Hainan, sweet-potato starch can become thick translucent noodles for a cool dessert. Local makers form the strands by passing batter through a perforated ladle into boiling water. Ginger syrup and grass jelly turn them into a sweet bowl rather than a savory noodle dish.