Guilin, · Guangxi · Province Techniques

Guilin mi fen (桂林米粉) — among the most famous noodle dishes in all of China — features round rice noodles in a rich pork and beef bone broth with fragrant spices. The canonical toppings include thin slices of marinated pork (lu zhu rou), horse meat (optional), deep-fried peanuts, pickled long beans (suan dou jiao), and a spoonful of the shop's house-made chili sauce. The broth recipe is considered a trade secret.

Guilin's signature noodle soup is unlike any other Chinese noodle: the broth is a decades-old master stock of pork bones, dried mushrooms, spices, and dried herbs; the fresh rice noodles are served with a choice of toppings — braised pork, fried peanuts, pickled daikon, spring onion. The broth is the restaurant's identity — each shop guards its recipe like a state secret. Different from Vietnamese pho despite superficial similarity.