Yunnan Guoqiao Mi Xian

Guoqiao mi xian — Bridge-Crossing Rice Noodles — is Yunnan's most iconic dish, named after a legend of a scholar's devoted wife who carried a hot broth across a bridge each day. The dish arrives as a steaming pot of chicken oil-sealed broth with raw ingredients that cook tableside, a tradition dating back centuries in Mengzi.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the Broth

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) whole chicken or chicken carcass
• 100g (3.5 oz) pork ribs
• 2 litres (8 cups) water
• 1 tbsp (15ml) chicken fat or lard
• Salt to taste

Dipping Ingredients (per person)

• 100g (3.5 oz) fresh rice noodles (mi xian)
• 50g (2 oz) pork loin, sliced paper-thin
• 50g (2 oz) chicken breast, sliced paper-thin
• 1 egg (cracked in at the end)
• Small handful bean sprouts
• Small handful spinach leaves
• 1 tbsp sliced spring onion
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp Yunnan pickled mustard greens (zha cai), rinsed

Instructions

1. Simmer chicken and pork ribs in water for 2 hours over low heat, skimming regularly. Strain and season the broth with salt. Stir in chicken fat — this seals the surface and keeps the broth very hot.
2. Bring the strained broth back to a vigorous boil and ladle into deep individual bowls (pre-heated).
3. Working quickly, add raw meat slices first — they cook immediately in the hot broth.
4. Add rice noodles, bean sprouts, and spinach. Crack in the egg.
5. Top with spring onion, chilli flakes, and pickled greens. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes: The broth must be boiling hot when served — the chicken fat seal is what keeps it hot enough to cook the raw ingredients. Pre-heat bowls in the oven. Fresh mi xian (rice noodles) are key; dried noodles should be soaked and pre-blanched.