Suzhou Mutton Vermicelli Soup 肃州羊肉粉汤

How it is made

The bowl sits inside a Jiuquan group of dishes called 合汁, in which mutton stock is blended with pork and chicken stock and then poured over broad-bean vermicelli with sliced pork and mutton. The province's tourism account notes that seafood is sometimes added as well.

In the fuller versions the pot also takes meatballs, fried meat rolls, wood-ear fungus, more noodles and tofu, so the soup becomes a whole bowl rather than a broth with a garnish.

Flavour and texture

The stock is the base note and the vermicelli is the body: broad-bean noodles stay firm and slightly slippery instead of softening the way wheat noodles do in hot soup. Blending several stocks gives a rounder, meatier depth than a single-animal broth would carry.

Because the noodles are starch and the soup is rich, the bowl is filling; the smell is savoury and mutton-forward rather than heavily spiced.

Local roots

The Suzhou district government lists mutton-vermicelli soup among the street snacks that have turned into recognised local brands in its night markets, in the same breath as roast lamb, village-style spicy hot pot, apricot juice flatbread and liang pi.

The province's tourism account places the dish in the Jiuquan 合汁 tradition and names Dunhuang's mutton version as the best known of the mutton ones, so the Suzhou bowl is one branch of a dish family rather than an isolated recipe.

Ingredients and dietary needs

Mutton stock, often cut with pork and chicken stock; broad-bean vermicelli; sliced mutton and pork; and, in fuller versions, meatballs, fried meat rolls, wood-ear fungus, tofu and other ingredients.

Mixed-meat soups in the region can include offal even when the name does not say so, and the blended stock means the dish is usually not pork-free. Ask at the stall before ordering if either matters to you.

How to order

Ask for 羊肉粉汤. A bowl is 一碗, and 小碗 asks for the smaller size if you are also ordering skewers or a cold dish.

不要猪肉 asks for it without pork, 多加点粉条 asks for more vermicelli, and 有丸子吗 asks whether meatballs are included. Chilli and vinegar usually sit on the table, so 辣子自己放 means you season it yourself.

How it is eaten

It is eaten hot with a spoon and chopsticks, and it works as a late bowl on the night-market streets where Jiuquan's snack trade is concentrated. Seasoning goes in at the table, so taste the broth before adding chilli.

Portions vary between stalls. If you want it as a snack rather than a meal, ask for the small bowl and keep room for the other street food on the same street.

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