Fish-Broth Rice Noodles

Hutangfen simmers small live fish into a thick, gelatinous broth, then drops in fine rice noodles, finished with scallion, dried shrimp, pickled radish and a heavy hand of pepper — rich, savory and peppery.

A traditional riverside breakfast born of Wuhan's abundant catch, it takes its name from the broth's gluey thickness and is praised by locals as their equivalent of northern lamb-bread soup.

The classic way is to pair it with a freshly fried dough stick, tearing it into the broth so the pieces soak up the soup before eating.

Its soul is the fish-thickened broth and assertive pepper, and dunking a fried dough stick is the authentic way to eat it.