Misua Soup (Mianxian Hu)

Mianxian hu is a smooth, thickened soup of ultra-fine wheat noodles bound with sweet-potato starch in a seafood broth.

Said to have originated in Quanzhou, it grew from a coastal southern-Fujian home dish pairing fine noodles with seafood into a celebrated street breakfast.

A bowl of the plain soup is dressed to taste with pork intestine, marinated pork, oysters or braised egg, often eaten with a fried dough stick at breakfast or as a late-night snack.

A fresh, un-greasy broth in which the noodles dissolve into a velvety porridge yet stay individually distinct marks a properly made bowl.