Guizhou Yangroufen (Spicy Goat Rice Noodle Soup)

Day 1 – Trim excess fat from the 2.5 kg goat hind leg, cut the meat and bones into pieces, soak them in cold water with 2 tsp salt for 2 hours, then rinse thoroughly.

Day 1 – Make the first stock: combine the goat pieces, 30 g smashed ginger, the spice mix placed in a bag, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp baijiu, and 2 l water in a large pot; bring to a boil, skim off any foam, cover and simmer on medium‑low heat for 2 hours.

Day 1 – After simmering, remove the meat, let it cool, then refrigerate; reserve the bones for the second‑stage stock.

Day 1 – Make the second stock: add the reserved bones to 1 l water with 10 g sliced ginger and 0.5 tbsp crushed white pepper kernels; simmer on medium‑low for another 2 hours, then remove the ginger, cover, turn off the heat and let the stock sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Day 2 – Prepare the chili crisp oil: render the reserved goat fat in a pan with a little water until the fat separates, then add Chinese rapeseed oil to bring the total oil volume to 1 cup.

Day 2 – Infuse the oil: heat the oil on medium‑low, add the spice‑mix bag and fry until the aromatics turn golden, then remove the bag.

Day 2 – Fry the garlic: add the sliced garlic to the hot oil, fry on medium‑low until lightly golden, then remove and set aside to crisp.

Day 2 – Fry the chilies: add the snipped wrinkle or árból chilies to the oil, fry on medium‑low until crisp and dark brown, then remove.

Day 2 – Finish the chili oil: heat the oil to about 350°F, turn off the heat, stir in 7 g toasted chili flakes, let the mixture cool to roughly 275°F, then add 3 g red chili powder, the fried garlic and chilies, 0.5 tbsp dark Chinese vinegar, 0.25 tsp salt, and 0.25 tsp MSG; stir well, jar the oil and let it rest for 24 hours.

Day 2 – Prepare the noodles: soak 150 g dry rice noodles in cold water overnight in the refrigerator; the next day, briefly boil until just past al dente, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Day 2 – Prepare the toppings: pick the mint leaves, chop the cilantro and scallions, slice additional garlic if desired, and have the pickled radish and mustard greens ready.

Day 2 – Assemble the soup: reheat the second‑stage stock to a rolling boil; in each serving bowl place a portion of cooked noodles, thinly sliced chilled goat meat (about 1 mm thick), and pour 2–3 cups of hot stock over; top with a spoonful of chili crisp oil, the fried garlic, cilantro, scallion, mint leaves, and pickles to taste.