浆水 (jiāngshuǐ) · jiangshui (fermented vegetable brine, a…

Measure Word

一碗浆水 wǎn

Meanings

1 jiangshui (fermented vegetable brine, a sour northwest Chinese staple)
2 starchy water (literal sense)

About the ingredient

调料 Seasonings

The sour liquid from fermenting celery or cabbage. Around Lanzhou and Tianshui in Gansu it is the cold, sour broth of 浆水面, a summer noodle dish finished with hot oil poured over coriander.

Characters

浆

jiāng

thick liquid; starch water

水

shuǐ

water

Examples

HSK 5

夏天来一碗浆水面又酸又开胃。

Xiàtiān lái yì wǎn jiāngshuǐ miàn yòu suān yòu kāiwèi.

In summer a bowl of jiangshui noodles is sour and appetite-whetting.

HSK 7-9

奶奶在缸里发了一缸浆水。

Nǎinai zài gāng lǐ fā le yì gāng jiāngshuǐ.

Grandma fermented a jar of jiangshui in the crock.

Tips

culture

A defining flavor of Gansu, Shaanxi and Qinghai cuisine: celery, cabbage or wild greens are submerged in starchy noodle-cooking water and left to ferment for a few days, producing a clear, lemon-tart liquid used for noodle soups (浆水面) and as a summer cooler. The bacteria culture is passed down across generations like a sourdough starter.