Miss Siwawa

Miss Siwawa is a specialist in siwawa, also written si wa wa, the Guiyang street snack of vegetables and sauce rolled in a thin rice-flour pancake. The shop is listed at 4F-70, 42 Shinan Road, in the Shinan Road area of downtown Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou in southwest China. Siwawa is a distinctive part of the city's food culture and is often compared to a spring roll, although it is served fresh and uncooked. A sheet of translucent rice pancake is filled with shredded vegetables such as cucumber, carrot and radish, together with pickles, herbs and sometimes peanuts or crisp toppings, then rolled by hand and dressed with chili water. The two items that define the menu are the siwawa vegetable wraps and the chili water dipping sauce. The chili water is the key to the experience: a sour, spicy and savoury liquid made with vinegar, chili and aromatics, in which each wrap is dipped or into which the wraps are soaked. The result is light, refreshing and sharply flavoured, and it is typically eaten as a snack or a light lunch rather than a full meal. The shop works on a counter-service model, with orders taken at the counter, wraps assembled quickly and served at small tables, and no reservations. The dining environment is simple, informal and mostly shared with shoppers and workers in the area, and no dress code applies. Beverages are limited to soft drinks and tea, and there is no wine programme. Prices are low, in the budget range, so several wraps cost very little. The dish is vegetarian in the main, although some versions use meat-based sauces, so vegetarians should ask before ordering. For visitors exploring the street food of Guiyang, Miss Siwawa offers an accessible introduction to a snack that is difficult to find outside Guizhou, and the lighter flavours provide a useful contrast to the rich changwang noodles and sour fish of the region.