🍽️ Shuicheng Mutton Noodle

Plateau mutton rice noodles with pepper.

Shuicheng Mutton Noodle is the signature breakfast of Liupanshui in western Guizhou. Highland mountain mutton is simmered on the bone into a milky-white broth, then thinly sliced and laid over thick round rice noodles; the soup is fresh, the meat tender, and any mutton smell is kept well in check. Diners sprinkle on Sichuan pepper powder, burnt chili and garlic sprouts, and the peppery heat drives away the cold. Liupanshui sits in the high, damp mountains of western Guizhou, and a bowl of mutton noodles brings a light sweat to the forehead on chilly autumn and winter mornings. Compared with Zunyi's mutton noodles, the Shuicheng style emphasizes pepper and burnt-chili aroma. Local noodle shops are packed from dawn, a bowl of noodles with a small dish of pickles the unshakable local morning, and a must-try warming bite for visitors to this cool city.