Changde Beef Rice Noodle

Changde Beef Rice Noodle is one of the most popular dishes in Hunan cuisine, arguably one of the spiciest regional varieties in China. The broth – made of beef chunks, soy sauce and a variety of spices like Sichuan peppercorn and chilli – is served with rice noodle and green scallions.

Why is it in the news?

A restaurant named Fu Niu Tang is claiming that it serves the world’s spiciest rice noodles. Patrons who can finish a bowl of the Changde Beef Rice Noodle in 10 minutes are being promised a T-shirt and a card that entitles them to a permanent 10% discount at the eatery.

The dish is certainly not for the faint-hearted. The restaurant says the hot sauce incorporated in its rice noodles is 125 times spicier than Tabasco. So far, about 300 people have taken the spicy noodle challenge, but only 15 have been able to complete the task.

(The adjacent photo of the restaurant has a sign saying the dish has sold out.)

According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the diners to take the noodle challenge was suffering from weepy eyes and shaking hands after a couple of minutes of eating. He did manage to finish the noodles in eight minutes, but he promptly retreated to the bathroom, where he remained for three times as long.

Where to have it?

For those interested in trying the world’s spiciest noodles, you can find Fu Niu Tang at Unit E-5, M Level, the World Financial Centre, Chaoyang District, Beijing (+86-135-2212-5685).

© ChinTell Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sponsored by HSBC.

The Week in China website and the weekly magazine publications are owned and maintained by ChinTell Limited, Hong Kong. Neither HSBC nor any member of the HSBC group of companies ("HSBC") endorses the contents and/or is involved in selecting, creating or editing the contents of the Week in China website or the Week in China magazine. The views expressed in these publications are solely the views of ChinTell Limited and do not necessarily reflect the views or investment ideas of HSBC. No responsibility will therefore be assumed by HSBC for the contents of these publications or for the errors or omissions therein.