Najiahu Yang Zasui

Najiahu Yang Zasui is a traditional offal soup shop at 71 Yinhe Lane in Xingqing District, Yinchuan, the capital of China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Like other Hui snack shops in the old city, it serves yang zasui, a mutton offal soup simmered for hours in a clear, peppery broth and served piping hot in large bowls. The dish is a staple local breakfast and an acquired taste for first-time visitors, with a rich, savoury flavour balanced by herbs and chilli oil. The shop also offers fried dough sticks (youtiao), which are dipped into the soup, and flatbread, which is torn up and soaked in the broth. The kitchen is halal, in keeping with Hui Muslim culinary practice in Ningxia, and alcohol is not part of the experience. The dining room is a simple snack-shop space with plastic or wooden tables and stools, a steaming counter and a quick turnover of customers who often finish within fifteen minutes. There is no dress code and the mood is practical, friendly and local. Prices are among the lowest in the city at about 15 to 30 yuan per person, roughly 2 to 4 US dollars. Breakfast and lunch are the serving periods, and hours should be confirmed because small shops frequently close when the pot is empty. No reservations are taken, and walk-in service is the rule; for lunch, arriving before 12:00 or after 1:30PM avoids the busiest period. Yinhe Lane is a small street in the old residential area, so a map app helps; the neighbouring shop, Yang Si Yang Zasui at number 74, sits directly across the lane, which allows a quick comparison of two versions of the same soup. Visitors can request less chilli or ask for a smaller portion of offal. A bowl with flatbread makes a complete, inexpensive morning meal before sightseeing in the old city.