Hulatang (Húlàtāng)

Overview

Hulatang is a thick, peppery breakfast soup from Henan province in central China. A rich broth of beef or mutton bones is thickened with starch and flavoured with lots of black pepper and a mix of spices, which give it a warming heat that is felt in the throat. Pieces of meat, chewy wheat gluten, sweet potato vermicelli, black fungus, kelp and peanuts are cooked in it. The soup is dark and glossy and is eaten early in the morning, often with fried dough sticks or steamed buns. A dash of vinegar and sesame oil is added at the table.

History

The town of Xiaoyao in Xihua County is said to be the home of hulatang, and stories date it back to the Ming or Song dynasty. The name means pepper spicy soup. It spread through Henan and to other cities with migrants from the province, and today hulatang shops are a common sight in Zhengzhou and Kaifeng, serving bowls from dawn.

Main ingredients

Beef or lamb, wheat gluten, sweet potato vermicelli, black fungus, kelp, black pepper. The soup is built on thick spiced meat broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.

Explore: Beef soups · Lamb soups · Noodle soups · Barley and grains soups · More soups from China

Recipe

4Serves

2h 20m20 prep · 120 cook

~380kcal / serving

MediumDifficulty

Method

1. 1
   1.5 h

   Simmer the meat and bones with ginger and star anise for 1.5 hours, then cut the meat small.

2. 2
   10 min

   Add the gluten, fungus, kelp and vermicelli and cook for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Stir in the black pepper, soy sauce and salt.

4. 4

   Pour in the starch mixture, stirring, until the soup is thick and glossy.

5. 5

   Serve with vinegar and sesame oil.

6. ✓

   Serve. About 2h 20m from start to bowl.

Sources

• Hulatang (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.