🍽️ Changde Beef Rice Noodle

Round rice noodles in red beef broth.

Changde Beef Rice Noodle is the undisputed king of breakfast in Changde, Hunan. Round, fresh rice noodles are the star, ladled over with a red broth simmered from beef, beef bones and chili oil. The noodles are springy and slippery, the beef is stewed until tender and sliced thin, and the red soup is spicy, oily and aromatic, finished with scallions and pickled long beans; locals slurp the noodles and drink the broth in one flowing motion. Changde people cannot imagine a morning without this bowl, and noodle stalls line the streets, packed from dawn. The local way is to sip the broth first, then toss the noodles and slurp them, with chopped chili on top for those who love heat. It is an everyday staple at home and has spread wherever Changde people have settled, making it one of the most recognizable breakfast tastes of Hunan.