Meatball hulatang is a Muslim snack of Hui people in Xi'an and one of the most popular breakfasts in the city. It is actually beef meatball soup or stewed beef meatballs with vegetables, differing from meatball hulatang elsewhere for its thicker soup.

The most appetizing part of hulatang is the soup, so the beef or lamb soup cooked by a paomo restaurant (paomo ispita bread soaked in soup) is often the best choice for hungry breakfasters.

Hulatang uses beef, cabbage, carrots, beans and potatoes as a base and adds many other ingredients, such as starch, pepper powder, spicy powder, salt, cooking wine, chicken essence, thick beef soup, onion and ginger. However, the vegetables in the soup differ from one restaurant to another.

Pita bread and hulatang is normal breakfast fare. The half leavened pita bread becomes an integral part of hulatang after it's fully soaked.