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Henan hulatang
Peppery beef breakfast soup
Hú là tāng (胡辣汤): Henan's thick, peppery breakfast soup with beef, gluten and wood ear
In Zhengzhou and towns across Henan, breakfast means a bowl of hulatang ladled from a huge pot, a thick, glossy soup whose heat comes not from chilli but from a big dose of black and white pepper. It is full of beef, chewy wheat gluten, glass noodles, wood ear, peanuts and kelp, and it is eaten with fried dough or steamed buns. For a meat-free version, leave out the beef and use vegetable stock. The usual mistake is adding the starch slurry too fast, which turns the soup gluey and lumpy. Chef's tip: stir the soup in one direction while you pour the slurry in a thin ribbon, and stop when it coats the back of a spoon.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 9 oz beef brisket or shinin one piece
- 1.8 litres water
- 1 ⅛ in fresh gingersliced
- 3 ½ oz fried wheat gluten puffs (mian jin)torn in pieces
- ¼ oz dried wood ear mushroomssoaked 20 minutes, sliced
- ⅓ oz dried kelpsoaked 15 minutes, cut into strips
- 1 ¾ oz sweet potato glass noodlessoaked 20 minutes, cut short
- 1 ¾ oz raw peanutsboiled 10 minutes
- 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp saltto taste
- 4 tbsp potato starchmixed with 100 ml cold water
- 1 eggbeaten
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegarto serve
- 1 tbsp chilli oil (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 9 oz beef brisket or shin, 1.8 litres water, 1 ⅛ in fresh ginger and 1 star anise in a pot, bring to the boil and skim. Simmer, covered, for 40 minutes until the beef is tender. Lift it out, cool slightly and cut into small thin slices; discard the ginger and star anise.
40 minStep 2: Add 3 ½ oz fried wheat gluten puffs (mian jin), ¼ oz dried wood ear mushrooms, ⅓ oz dried kelp and 1 ¾ oz raw peanuts to the broth and simmer for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 3: Add 1 ¾ oz sweet potato glass noodles, the beef, 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp ground white pepper, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce and 1 tsp salt and bring back to the boil.
3 minStep 4: Stir the broth in one direction and pour in the 4 tbsp potato starch slurry in a thin stream. Keep stirring for 1 minute until the soup is glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
1 minStep 5: Drizzle 1 egg over the surface in a thin ribbon, wait 20 seconds, then stir gently so it sets into soft threads.
Step 6: Serve very hot with a splash of 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar and 1 tbsp chilli oil in each bowl.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does henan hulatang take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of star anise?
- ½ tsp aniseeds or fennel seeds per star.
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