Mutton Soup with HéLè Noodles

Mutton Soup with HéLè Noodles

　　A traditional snack from Chunhua County, Shaanxi Province. In Chunhua, there are certain customs surrounding eating HéLè noodles: they are a must for breakfast when hosting guests during weddings or funerals, yet locals avoid eating them during the Lunar New Year; however, after the second day of the New Year, if guests come over and the gathering is large, HéLè noodles are served, but not when the group is small. That said, it's customary here for close friends and relatives to prearrange mutual New Year visit dates, often resulting in groups of a dozen or even twenty dropping by at once—so serving HéLè noodles to guests remains common during the holiday season. The HéLè noodles in Chunhua are made without removing the outer skin, giving them a dark color, as the local rhyme goes: “Though I may look black, I’m still fit to serve guests.” Most HéLè noodles in Chunhua are made from buckwheat flour and served with mutton soup, a dish commonly referred to as “Mutton Soup with HéLè Noodles.” Eating this dish carries a style reminiscent of sauced noodles.

　　Preparation: Dice raw mutton, along with tofu and carrots, and prepare chopped scallions. Heat clear oil in a pan, then pour in chili powder once the oil is hot. Add the meat, vegetables, and scallions, followed by seasonings. Once cooked, remove from heat and set aside. Boil a pot of soup using sheep tail and mutton fat to make the mutton broth.

　　When eating the HéLè noodles, add the prepared topping into the mutton broth to make the sauce. It can be added all at once or gradually while eating. The HéLè noodles can be handmade or machine-pressed. Typically, each bowl contains about 1 liǎng (50 grams) of noodles. The amount of mutton broth should exceed that of the noodles. Both guests and hosts should observe one rule when eating: the first bowl of noodles each person has should be the one they finish entirely; if they want more, they should pour noodles from a new bowl into their own rather than directly switching bowls.

　　In Shaanxi, people usually crush chili peppers before stir-frying them in clear oil to make chili oil, known as “oil-stirred chili.” The oil should be plentiful, enough to at least cover the chilies. There are two grind sizes for the chili: one is slightly coarse, not powdery but in small flakes, and the other is a fine powder almost like flour. Some discard the chili seeds, while others specifically grind them up for eating—they’re actually quite tasty. The flake form, not ground into an extremely fine powder, offers a better aroma and flavor. But to achieve the effect of “chili oil so thick you can’t blow through it,” it must be ground into a powder. This is exactly how the people of Chunhua prepare their chili oil.

　　Features: The HéLè noodles are chewy and tender, and the broth is rich and savory. It has the benefits of warming the stomach, promoting blood circulation, and aiding digestion.