What to Eat in Shizuishan?

Local cuisine in Shizuishan mainly features wheat-based foods, including various noodles such as hand-torn dough slices, minced meat sauce noodles and dry mixed noodles, as well as steamed buns, twisted rolls, pan-fried cakes and fried dough cakes. During traditional festivals, locals often entertain guests with braised pork, stewed mutton, fried meatballs and dumplings.

As an area with a large Hui population, halal food is widely popular here. A must-try local specialty is the Shahu Lake Giant Fish Head, renowned for its delicious flavor.

Youyi Street in Dawukou District is a bustling commercial street packed with restaurants, offering a great variety of noodles, local dishes and snacks.

Stir-fried lamb cubs from Huangquqiao, hand-served mutton, sheep offal stew, mixed braised snacks, seasoned rice with starch soup, fried dough cakes, fried sesame twists, fennel cakes, crisp buns, starch soup, ground grain rolls, cold noodle jelly, elm flower pastries, mutton rolls, buckwheat chopped noodles, marinated sheep trotters, roasted sheep heads, fried pastries, hot pot mutton and pan cakes.

Steamed mugwort leaves, sophora flowers, desert onions, desert mustard and bitter herbs. These ingredients grow naturally in the desert without any chemical additives. Simply season with salt and vinegar before serving.

Knead buckwheat flour into soft dough. Gently pull the dough through a stainless steel mesh to form small fish-shaped noodle pieces. Cook them in soup with tofu, diced beef or mutton, potatoes and green turnips.

Different from regular stretched noodles, they contain no additives to boost toughness. The texture relies entirely on skilled dough kneading and pulling techniques. Other popular options include buckwheat noodles pressed with a special tool, green vegetable mixed noodles, sauce noodles and mutton hand-torn noodles.

The Yellow River carp is a well-known delicacy. According to ancient medical works such as Compendium of Materia Medica, it also serves as a nourishing medicinal food, benefiting the liver and kidneys. It helps relieve symptoms including edema in pregnant women, irregular menstruation, otitis media and acute eye inflammation.

Clean fresh carp by scaling, gutting and rinsing it thoroughly. Cut diagonal slits along the fish body, coat it with starch batter, then deep-fry until golden brown. Place on a plate and drizzle with specially prepared sweet and sour sauce. The finished dish is bright in color, crispy outside and tender inside with an amazing taste.

Thanks to the favorable local natural conditions, mutton in Ningxia has no gamey smell. Lamb aged two to three months delivers the finest texture — tender, fresh and not greasy.

For this specialty, tender lamb is cut into small cubes and stir-fried over high heat. The dish looks pale white with a tinge of red, tastes refreshing and nourishes the body.

Knead high-quality flour into dough and let it rest. Slice mutton, then stir-fry the meat with diced scallions, ginger and garlic in hot oil. Add soy sauce, salt and Chinese prickly ash water and simmer. Roll the rested dough thin, tear it into small pieces and boil them. Transfer the cooked dough slices into the mutton pan, stir well to blend the flavors, then add fresh soup, seasonal vegetables and chili oil. The dish features chewy noodles and savory mutton with a distinctive taste.

A traditional folk snack of the Hui people. Families fry youxiang to celebrate distinguished guests, a baby’s one-month or hundred-day ceremony, circumcision and weddings. It is also prepared for major Islamic festivals including Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the Anniversary of the Prophet’s Death. People share the pastries with neighbors to celebrate together.

When eating youxiang, tear it along the cut with hands instead of biting directly, which is considered impolite.

A popular drink enjoyed by people of all ages among the Hui community in Ningxia. The cover bowl, also known as a three-piece tea set, consists of a lid, a tea bowl and a saucer. The elegant bowl has a wide rim and a narrow base.

In hot summer, it is more thirst-quenching than watermelon. In cold winter, locals gather around stoves, pairing the tea with baked buns or fried twists.

Different teas and ingredients are chosen for different seasons: brown sugar brick tea, white sugar green tea and rock sugar honey tea. People select varieties according to physical conditions — rock sugar honey tea clears internal heat, brown sugar brick tea eases stomach discomfort, and white sugar green tea aids digestion.

The traditional Eight-Treasure Tea is blended with tea leaves, red dates, Chinese wolfberries, walnut kernels, longans, sesame seeds, raisins and preserved fruits for daily health care.

Restaurants at Shahu Lake Scenic Area specialize in full fish feasts. For honored guests, chefs serve large bighead carp heads weighing 15 to 25 kilograms, caught fresh from the lake. This famous dish is so well-received that it has even been served at state banquets.

Clean and cook sheep heads, trotters, hearts, tripe, intestines and livers thoroughly. Cut all ingredients into sections and mix well. Simmer with coriander, chili and other seasonings. The finished dish looks glossy reddish-brown, with spicy rich broth and an unforgettable flavor.