Guoba
Guoba (鍋耙, 鍋巴, 锅巴, lit. "pan adherents"), sometimes known as mi guoba (米鍋耙, lit. rice guoba) is a Chinese food ingredient consisting of scorched rice. Traditionally guoba forms during the boiling of rice over direct heat from a flame. This results in the formation of a crust of scorched rice on the bottom of the wok or cooking vessel. This scorched rice has a firm and crunchy texture with a slight toasted flavour, and is sometimes eaten as a snack.
Guoba is also used as an ingredient in many Chinese dishes with thick sauces, since the bland taste of the scorched rice takes on the flavour of the sauces. Guoba is also served in soups and stews and prominently featured in Szechuan cuisine. Since demand for guoba outstrips traditional production and modern ways of cooking rice (in electric rice cookers) do not produce it, guoba has been commercially manufactured since the late 20th century.
In Vietnamese cuisine, a similar food is called cơm cháy (literally "scorched rice"). It is typically fried in oil until golden brown, then topped with caramelized scallions, chà bông (pork cotton) or tôm khô (dried shrimp), and chili paste to produce a popular dish called cơm cháy chà bông or cơm cháy tôm khô (although both the pork and shrimp may be used). Cơm cháy may be made from the crust of rice left over from cooking rice in an iron pot, or alternatively from leftover rice that is fried in oil over high heat to acquire a crispy texture.
See also
- Nurungji, a very similar food in Korean cuisine