Yang Za Ge (羊杂割 (Yáng zá gē))

Overview

Yang za ge is the lamb offal soup of Shanxi in northern China. The head, trotters, heart, liver, lungs, stomach and intestines of a sheep are scrubbed carefully, simmered with Sichuan pepper, star anise, ginger and spring onion until tender, then cut into small pieces. Ground chilli is stirred into warm melted mutton fat to make a glossy red oil, the long-cooked broth is poured on, and the offal goes back into the pot with strips of cooked lamb's blood. The soup is finished with chopped spring onion and coriander and a dash of vinegar. In Datong it is red, oily and fiery, while in southern Shanxi the broth is kept milky white. It is eaten for breakfast with flatbread.

History

A popular legend places its origin in the Yuan dynasty. The mother of Xu Guozhen, the physician who cured the mother of Kublai Khan, is said to have seen the Mongols throw away the offal of their sheep, cooked it with spring onion and chilli, and served it to the empress, who gave the dish its name. It spread from Shanxi to Shaanxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and Shandong, and in the mining towns and mountain villages of northern Shanxi a bowl in deep winter was an old custom.

Main ingredients

Lamb offal, lamb's blood, mutton fat, chilli, spring onion, coriander. The soup is built on rich lamb broth with red chilli oil and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.

Explore: Lamb soups · Tripe and offal soups · More soups from China

Recipe

4Serves

2h 10m40 prep · 90 cook

~420kcal / serving

MediumDifficulty

Method

1. 1

   Soak and scrub the offal, then blanch and rinse it.

2. 2

   Simmer it with the spices, ginger and spring onions in 3 l water for 1 to 1½ hours and keep the broth.

3. 3

   Cut the offal into small pieces.

4. 4

   Melt the mutton fat, let it cool a little, stir in the chilli and pour in the broth.

5. 5
   5 min

   Add the offal and blood, simmer for 5 minutes, season and serve with spring onion, coriander and flatbread.

6. ✓

   Serve. About 2h 10m from start to bowl.

Sources

• tydao.com
• gushi.nmgnews.com.cn
• Shanxi cuisine (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.