Shashi Early-Morning Noodle Soup 沙市早堂面

Shashi Early-Morning Noodle Soup (沙市早堂面) is a breakfast dish from Shashi (沙市), Jingzhou (荆州). Springy alkaline noodles sit in a rich, milky stock with meat toppings and local scallions. Its defining qualities are a savoury broth, substantial oiliness and firm noodles.

How it is made

Shashi’s culture and tourism authorities describe a stock made from live swamp eels, an old hen, pork belly, large pork bones and crucian carp. The carp is wrapped in a cloth bag to keep its bones out of the soup. The pot is brought to a vigorous boil, then simmered gently until the stock becomes milky white.

How it is eaten

Cooked alkaline noodles receive the broth and small toppings called xiao mazi (小码子): stewed pork skin and pork belly with a high proportion of fat. Larger toppings, da mazi (大码子), include hand-shredded chicken breast, thin slices of lean pork and crisply fried eel bones. A handful of local scallions finishes the bowl.

Where it comes from

In December 2024, the noodle-making technique entered the extended list of Hubei’s seventh group of provincial intangible cultural heritage projects.