Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Noodles — Sour-Spicy Vermicelli
Quick Info
- Flavor
- Sour, spicy, and savory with a tangy punch. Like a spicy tom yum soup crossed with slippery glass noodles — the vinegar sourness hits first, then the chili heat follows.
- Texture
- Bouncy, slippery, translucent sweet potato noodles that are springy and chewy, in a hot, sour, slightly thick broth with crunchy peanuts and crispy soy beans
- Spice Level
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️ — Similar to a spicy Thai tom yum — medium-hot with a strong vinegar tang that balances the burn
- Temperature
- Served Hot
Ingredients
Allergens
Confirmed
Possible
These ingredients may vary by restaurant. Ask your server to confirm.
The Story
Suān là fěn (sour-spicy noodles) is Chongqing’s answer to the question “what if hot and sour soup had noodles in it?” The dish uses sweet potato starch noodles — transparent, bouncy, and completely gluten-free — in a broth spiked with black vinegar and chili oil. It has roots in rural Chongqing cooking where sweet potatoes were more available than wheat, and the starchy noodles made from them became a beloved street food. It has since spread across China and is one of the most popular late-night snack foods in the country.
What to Expect
A bowl of clear, jelly-like noodles swimming in a dark, vinegary, spicy broth topped with a colorful scatter of crushed peanuts, cilantro, and fried soybeans. The noodles are unlike anything in Western cuisine — translucent, impossibly bouncy, and slippery, made from sweet potato starch. The first sip of broth is a one-two punch of sharp vinegar sourness and chili heat. The crunchy peanuts and crispy soy beans on top add textural contrast that keeps every bite interesting.
Tips
The noodles are naturally gluten-free (made from sweet potato starch), but the broth contains soy sauce, so it is not entirely gluten-free. These noodles are extremely slippery — do not wear your best clothes, and consider using a spoon to help guide them to your mouth. Ask for extra vinegar (加醋, jiā cù) if you like the sour flavor, or extra chili oil (加辣, jiā là) if you want more heat.