Yangrou Paomo (Yángròu pàomó)

Overview

Yangrou paomo is a famous lamb soup from Xi'an, in Shaanxi province in northern China. A tough, unleavened flatbread called mo is broken into tiny pieces, traditionally by the diner at the table, which can take a long time. The pieces are then cooked in a rich, clear broth made from lamb or mutton bones and spices, together with slices of lamb, soaked glass noodles and black fungus, so the bread soaks up the broth. It is topped with coriander and spring onion and eaten with sweet pickled garlic and chilli sauce, which cut through the richness of the meat.

History

The dish is closely tied to the Hui Muslim community of Xi'an, whose Muslim Quarter near the Drum Tower is full of paomo restaurants. Xi'an was the start of the Silk Road, and lamb and wheat breads were important foods there for centuries. A popular legend says that the future first Song emperor, Zhao Kuangyin, ate it when he was poor. The dish was listed as part of China's intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Main ingredients

Unleavened flatbread (mo), lamb, lamb broth, glass noodles, spring onion, pickled garlic. The soup is built on rich lamb broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.

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Recipe

4Serves

3h 20m20 prep · 180 cook

~650kcal / serving

MediumDifficulty

Method

1. 1
   3 h

   Simmer the lamb bones and meat with the spices in 3 l water for 3 hours, then slice the meat and strain the broth.

2. 2

   Break the bread into pieces the size of a pea.

3. 3
   3 min

   Boil the broth, add the bread, glass noodles, fungus and meat and cook for 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Season and serve with coriander, spring onion, pickled garlic and chilli sauce.

5. ✓

   Serve. About 3h 20m from start to bowl.

Sources

• Shaanxi cuisine (Wikipedia)

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