【Winter Bowls】Spicy Beef Meatball Noodles

How this bowl of noodles is eaten also hides the practical wisdom of southern Shanxi people. The most authentic way is to add a handful of crispy fried dough twists (yousanzi) or soak a crisp fried Mahua into the soup. The dough twists turn half-soft, half-crisp in the broth; the cruller soaks up the soup while keeping a pleasant chew. This layering of carbohydrates multiplies the satisfaction wave upon wave. More interestingly, shops often set six levels of spiciness, from “mild” to “fiery,” allowing diners to test their courage step by step—the heat touches not just the tongue, but the spirit, that lively refusal to huddle in winter’s grip.

临汾的牛肉丸子面馆，门脸多不大，却总见人影攒动。天越冷，店里越热闹。一人一海碗，埋头吃得热气腾腾，偶有交谈声也浸在满足的呼气里。这面不是精细的宴客之馔，却是扎扎实实的生活温度——是清晨赶工时的暖身早饭，是深夜归家后的慰藉消夜，也是风雪天里与友人相对而坐、共赴一场辣意酣畅的小小仪式。

Beef meatball noodle shops in Linfen are mostly humble in appearance, yet always bustling. The colder the day, the warmer the crowd inside. Each person with a large bowl, eating head-down and steaming hot, occasional conversations immersed in contented exhales. This noodle isn’t a refined banquet dish, but a solid, tangible warmth of daily life—a warming breakfast before a morning shift, a comforting late-night supper after returning home, or a small ritual on a snowy day, sitting across from a friend and diving together into a spicy, satisfied sweat.

山西的冬日暖食，从不只暖胃，更暖心气。一碗牛肉丸子面，辣得人汗透衣衫，却也暖得人眉目舒展。它用最直白的热烈，对抗着北方的严寒，也喂养着这片土地上人们骨子里那不服输的韧劲。这个冬天，若来山西，不妨也寻这样一碗面，让辣汗翻腾间，把身子与心意，一同烘得暖透。

Winter warm foods in Shanxi never just warm the stomach—they warm the spirit. A bowl of beef meatball noodles makes one sweat through their clothes, yet also relaxes the brows and soothes the heart. With its straightforward intensity, it stands against the northern cold, nurturing the resilient, unyielding character rooted in the people of this land. This winter, if you come to Shanxi, why not seek out such a bowl? Let the spicy sweat flow, and warm both body and soul right through.

（图源网络侵删）

(The image source is from the internet. If infringement, it will be deleted.)

来源：中华网综合整理

Source: Comprehensive collation by sx.china.com