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Yangrou paomo
Yángròu pàomó (羊肉泡馍) — Xi'an lamb soup poured over hand-torn flatbread
Order this soup in one of the old Hui restaurants around Xi'an's Drum Tower and you are handed a dense, barely leavened flatbread and expected to tear it yourself into pea-sized crumbs while you chat; the kitchen then cooks it in rich lamb broth until each crumb is soft yet still chewy. Slices of tender lamb, glass noodles and wood ear mushrooms go in too, and the bowl comes with sweet pickled garlic and chilli sauce on the side. It is a soothing, filling soup, especially on Xi'an's freezing winter mornings. Expect a deep, clean lamb flavour scented with warm spices. Chef's tip: tear the bread small, no bigger than a soybean; big lumps stay doughy in the middle.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the lamb broth
For the flatbread (mo)
To finish
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Soak 2 ¼ lb lamb shoulder or neck on the bone (and the bones if using) in cold water for 30 minutes, then put in a pot of fresh cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse and wash the pot. Keep raw lamb on its own board.
40 minStep 2: Return the lamb to the pot with 12 ½ cups water, 1 oz fresh ginger and 3 spring onions. Tie 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 2 bay leaves and 1 black cardamom pod in a muslin bag and add it. Bring to a simmer and skim well.
15 minStep 3: Simmer gently, partly covered, for 2 hours, until the meat falls from the bone; long-braised lamb is far past the medium mark of 145°F (145 °F). Season with 2 tsp salt in the last 10 minutes.
120 minStep 4: While the broth cooks, mix 10 ½ oz plain flour and oz instant yeast, add ¾ cup lukewarm water and knead for 8 minutes into a firm, smooth dough. Rest for 20 minutes, then divide into 4 and roll into 12 cm rounds about 1 cm thick.
30 minStep 5: Cook the breads in a dry heavy frying pan over a low heat for 6–7 minutes a side, until pale with light brown spots and firm. They should sound dull, not hollow, when tapped. Cool completely.
14 minStep 6: Tear each bread into tiny pieces, the size of a soybean, into a bowl per person. This is part of the ritual; do it at the table with company.
Step 7: Lift out the lamb, slice it thinly and discard the bones and spice bag. Skim some fat from the broth if you like, but leave a little for richness.
Step 8: For two portions at a time, bring 1 litre of broth to a boil in a wok. Add half the torn bread, half of 1 oz glass noodles, ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushrooms and half the lamb, and cook over a high heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the bread is soft and most of the broth absorbed. Repeat for the other two portions with the rest of 1 oz glass noodles and ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushrooms.
6 minStep 9: Season with ½ tsp ground white pepper, spoon into bowls and top with ½ oz coriander and 2 spring onions. Serve with pickled garlic and chilli sauce on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does yangrou paomo take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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