Lamb steamed buns
Shaanxi cuisine
Salty and fresh
Lamb steamed bun is a snack originating from Gushi Town, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province. Lamb steamed bun, also known as lamb bubble, also called "yokan soup" in ancient times, is a special delicacy of the Guanzhong region, and it used to be a tribute to the emperor's diet. Su Shi wrote poems about lamb steamed buns: "Long cuisine has bear wax, and Qin cooking only sheep soup". Lamb steamed bun can be said to be the "general representative" of Shaanxi's famous food, and it is also known as "the world's first bowl".
The origin and legend of the "lamb steamed bun"
origin
The history of yokan dates back to the 11th century BC, and the lamb steamed bun evolved on the basis of ancient yokan, when the ancients put coarse grain noodle soup into the mutton soup as a ritual meal during the sacrifice, which is also the prototype of the lamb steamed bun. There are many relevant documents that have recorded the emergence of yokan.
The Book of Rites mentions lamb soup. It was originally often used for sacrifices and court feasts. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, mutton soup was a ritual for kings and princes.
The Warring States Policy records that the king of Zhongshan was angered by a cup of yokan soup. Later, Sima Zi went to Chu in anger and persuaded the king of Chu to cut down Zhongshan, and later the zhongshan state collapsed.
According to the Book of Song, during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Mao Xiuzhi offered yangtang to Emperor Wu of Song, which was delicious, and Emperor Wu even made the captive Xiu zhi a Taiguan Shi, and later promoted to Shangshu Guanglu Doctor.
In the Sui Dynasty, Xie Satire's "Food Classic" recorded that "the fine offering did not neglect the sheep soup". This was originally a mix of lamb soup and pasta.
According to relevant documents, the Imperial Court of the Tang Dynasty and the municipal government were good at making soup. "Three days into the kitchen, wash your hands to make soup."
Legends and stories
Legend has it that when Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, fell into exile in Chang'an in the cold winter, hungry and cold, there was only one cake in his bag, which was difficult to swallow. Later, the owner of the street mutton soup, dafa, was kind enough to give him a bowl of steaming mutton soup. Zhao Kuangyin broke the cake and soaked it in it, and after eating it, he was resurrected with blood and embarked on the journey. After he later ascended the throne, he tasted all the delicacies of the world, and he could not put down the lamb soup bubble cake in his heart, so he ordered the imperial chef to imitate it, and nearly a hundred chefs pondered and meditated, and finally decided on the method, which also created the lamb steamed bun that has been passed down to the present day. It is said that After Zhao Kuangyin ate it, he would order this dish every day. The head chef was also given the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households.
It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi came to Xi'an when she took refuge in the west, and once ate authentic lamb steamed buns, which she praised as "soft and sweet."
In 2012, lamb steamed buns were selected as one of the "Staple Food Stories" series in the second episode of the documentary "China on the Tip of the Tongue".
Craftsmanship
raw material
Ingredients: lamb, scones
Accessories: coriander, ginger, green onion, vermicelli, sugar garlic, cinnamon, star anise, ginseng, astragalus, yamana, fragrant leaves, grass koss, sand kernels, hawthorn, peppercorns, pepper, etc
Preparation of ingredients
Handle the ingredients well in advance.
Choose the best fresh lamb, usually with tender lamb legs and hind buttocks. After washing, cut into large slices along the texture, then put into a pressure cooker, add water, add a variety of spices such as ginger, garlic, cinnamon, star anise, ginseng, astragalus, yamana, fragrant leaves, grass curs, sand kernels, hawthorn, peppercorns, etc., boil on high heat to remove floating blood foam, and then turn the heat down to simmer for one to two hours, when the meat is rotten, you can turn off the heat.
Add a little salt water and cumin powder to the flour, add a little water to knead into a relatively hard dough, wake up for 20 minutes, and use the high gluten powder to carry the dough. Then knead the dough several times with high gluten powder until it hardens. Then roll the dough into the same size and roll it into round pieces, then put it in a pan without oil (you can also use the oven), simmer the steamed bun over low heat, and pay attention to repeated turning. The braised bun is torn by hand or cut into small cubes with a knife and set aside.
Make lamb steamed buns
Use a pot, put the original soup of the stewed lamb in the pot, put the soaked noodles into the soup, add the appropriate amount of pepper and other seasonings (the original lamb steamed buns generally have few seasonings), boil and then turn down the heat for about 1 minute, then put the lamb and diced buns into a bowl, fish out the noodles and mix well, then sprinkle the chopped green onions and coriander, and finally pour hot soup and sprinkle some sesame oil. Put it out of the pot and put it on the plate, do not stir, and accompany it with chili sauce, sugar garlic, coriander, etc. according to personal preferences.
The traditional methods of lamb soaking are four kinds: single walking, dry pulling, mouth soup, and water siege.
Single walk: Steamed buns and soup are served separately, the steamed buns are broken into the soup to eat, and after eating, drink a bowl of fresh soup, which is known as "each is its own taste".
Dry pulling: the soup can not be seen in the cooked bowl, can poke the chopsticks, before going to the restaurant to break the steamed buns, put a chopstick on the bowl, the guy will understand, this is "dry pulling". The size of the bun is like a soybean.
Mouth soup: After the steamed bun is eaten, there is a mouthful of soup left. The size of the bun is like a peanut.
Water Siege City: As the name suggests, wide soup, like the great water siege city. The size of the bun is like a broad bean.
There are 12 kinds of hand variations such as breaking, tearing, pinching, kneading, rubbing, etc. (it is said that overnight steamed buns are better than fresh ones)
Lamb steamed bun, fine cooking, heavy and mellow, rotten meat soup thick, steamed tendons smooth, fat but not greasy, overflowing aroma, tempting appetite, after eating let people evocative endlessly. Eating lamb steamed bun hot autumn and winter is a good product for replenishing qi and strengthening the spleen.
Xi'an's lamb steamed bun restaurants are many, of which the old brands are "Old Sun Family", "Tongshengxiang", etc., Xi'an authentic steamed bun restaurants have their own characteristic style, the old rice family is more fat; the Huang family is lighter; the White family is not fat and not light.
Autumn and winter are coming, if you can't get to Xi'an, if you have time, try it, the production of this dish, warm the heart and stomach, will feel worth it in the world.