Pepper, chilli, beef and vermicelli — a Henan morning begins with a bowl of hulatang.
The heat of hulatang is the spirit of a Henan day.
In the morning, especially in Zhengzhou, Kaifeng and Zhoukou, queues form outside hulatang shops. A great pot of thick soup steams on the stove, filled with beef, vermicelli, gluten, black fungus and peanuts. A bowl, with a stick of youtiao or fried dumplings, is the most solid Henan breakfast.
The history of hulatang goes back to the Song dynasty. It is said to have begun as a hangover soup for the army, later enriched with pepper, chilli and spices to become today's hulatang. The 'hu' in the name refers to pepper — the soul of the soup.
A good bowl is thick, hot and fragrant. The soup must be thick enough to coat the spoon; the heat must come from pepper, not raw chilli; and the fragrance must come from beef and spices simmered long. Every shop has its own formula, some heavier on pepper, some on chilli.
The waking effect is why Henan people cannot do without it. On a cold morning, a bowl of steaming hulatang brings a light sweat to the forehead and lifts the whole day. With a just-fried youtiao or a basket of pan-fried dumplings, it is a perfect pair.
In Henan, hulatang even has its own 'north-south debate'. The Xiaoyao school is heavy on pepper with a darker broth; the Beiwudu school balances spices more and has a redder colour. Both have devotees, and neither concedes.
When you visit Henan, get up early and drink a bowl of hulatang. In Zhengzhou or Kaifeng, watch the vendor stir the great pot and listen to Henan dialect around you — the honesty and warmth of the province are in that bowl.
