How to break mutton soup steamed bun

Mutton soup with steamed bun is a popular way of eating among Xi'an people, and mutton soup with steamed bun should taste very good. But if you make it at home, you should pay attention to some things. However, different methods are classified according to each person's taste, so people think that there will be special methods that will make more delicious mutton soup steamed buns. So how do you break mutton soup steamed bun?

How to eat mutton soup steamed bun and how to make steamed bun

There are four key points to break the steamed bun: break, tear, pinch and shake

Pao Mo has a strong flavor, which reflects the generous nature of Shaanxi people. It is common to see several burly men, each holding a bowl as big as a small basin, full of steam. They all keep their heads down and remain silent. After a cup of tea, the steamed buns and soup are gone. When outsiders first come to Xi'an, they are amazed, but they say in private, "I feel that Pao Mo is too simple, not as refined and rich in flavor as southern cuisine."

In fact, Pao Mo may look bold and simple, but it is actually exquisite and complex inside. The production process of this beef and mutton soup steamed bun is quite sophisticated, with a total of 15 steps and 110 processes, and every operation shows the effort in the details. The real old-timers are also very particular about the way to eat Pao Mo!

First of all, the "ranranmo" must be broken into pieces to make a delicious bowl of Pao Mo. Master Ma Guijun of Tongshengxiang introduced that breaking "Ranranmo" requires four steps: breaking (breaking into small pieces), tearing (tearing into thin slices), pinching (pinching into small pieces), and shaking (shaking evenly). "Breaking" means breaking the steamed bun into two, and then into four; "tearing" means picking up one corner and splitting it in the middle to tear it into thin slices; "pinching" means pinching the steamed bun into pieces the size of soybeans. The pieces should be uniform in size and should not be in lumps or crumbs, so that the five flavors of the soup can be easily absorbed into the bun. "Shaking" means: finally shake the steamed bun grains evenly so that they do not stick to each other. Breaking steamed buns is a way to experience the fun of handicraft and to chat with friends and relatives, talk about family matters and boost business. How the steamed bun is broken, big or small, coarse or fine, can fully reflect the eater's personality, and this has also become a kind of style and taste. The steamed buns broken by an expert are small and neat. The master chef dares not be negligent after seeing this and processes them with extra care.

There are four ways to eat it: dry soak, soup, walk alone, and water siege

Pao Mo is not only about cooking, but also about eating it. There are four ways to eat it: one is dry soaking, which requires the steamed bun to be cooked so that the soup completely seeps into the bun. After eating, there is no soup, no bun, and no meat in the bowl. The second is a mouthful of soup, which requires the steamed bun to be cooked so that only a mouthful of soup is left in the bowl after eating. The third is to surround the city with water, with the steamed bun in the middle and the soup around it. All the soup, juice and steamed bun must be eaten up. The fourth is to eat it separately, which is the most convenient way to eat it, that is, the soup and steamed bun are separated and soaked instead of boiled. The characteristics of this way of eating are that the soup is golden, fresh and refreshing, with a long aftertaste.

When Pao Mo is served, the soup is rich and flavorful, and it is delicious. It cannot be eaten without pickled garlic, coriander and chili sauce. Coriander kills the fishy smell and enhances the flavor. Pickled garlic is refreshing and relieves greasiness. Add hot sauce to whet your appetite. Eat cilantro to keep your breath fresh. To avoid the greasy taste of beef and mutton in Pao Mo, you can add pickled garlic to it. There are also some rules for eating it. You should always eat it from one place and not stir it back and forth or roll it up and down. Some people compare this way of eating to "nibbling". Turn the edge of the bowl and eat the steamed bun with pickled garlic and hot sauce like a silkworm to keep the delicious taste. Of course, after eating a bowl of Pao Mo, drinking a bowl of refined mutton soup will make your mouth smell even more fragrant, which can be said to be the perfect ending to a bowl of Pao Mo.

How to make authentic mutton soup steamed bun

The so-called "going alone" means that the steamed bun and soup are served separately on the table, and the steamed bun is broken into pieces and put into the soup to eat. After the meal, one drinks a bowl of fresh soup alone, saying "each has its own taste". Some people also call "dry pulling" "dry soaking". After cooking, there is no soup in the bowl and you can stick chopsticks in it. The other type is called "kou tang". After eating the steamed bun, only a mouthful of soup is left. "Water-surrounded City" is just as the name suggests, with wide soup, like a city surrounded by water. After you break the steamed bun and put a chopstick on the bowl, the waiter will understand that this is "ganba". You don't need to use chopsticks to indicate when eating "Kou Tang" and "Shui Wei Cheng", because the size of the steamed bun is consistent with the cooking method. The principle is that the wider the soup, the bigger the steamed bun, and vice versa. An experienced chef will know how much soup to add by looking at the size of the steamed bun you break.

There are certain requirements for breaking Pao Mo. The steamed buns are specially made, called ranranmo, and each weighs two taels. It is said to be made by kneading nine parts of unleavened dough and one part of leavened dough together and baking them. If it is all dead dough, it will taste bad and be difficult to digest; if it is all leavened dough, it will not be able to be soaked. Some fake experts would say that the steamed buns should be shaped like a bee's head, the smaller the better. In fact, as mentioned above, the size of the steamed bun is consistent with the cooking method, such as dry-pulled, soup-cooked, and water-cooked. The size of the steamed buns can be such as soybeans, peanuts, and broad beans.

After the steamed bun is broken, ask the waiter to present it to the chef, who then adds mutton soup and cooks it quickly over high heat. Then add beef, mutton, vermicelli, chopped green onions, garlic sprouts, coriander, and the more advanced ones (which are called "high-quality" in Xi'an) may also include black fungus, day lily, and dried tofu, and it can be served.

A big bowl of steamed bun that you have broken yourself into pieces, with green chopped green onions, garlic sprouts, coriander, reddish-brown beef and mutton, yellow day lily, against the backdrop of pure white and translucent vermicelli and dark black fungus, is so fragrant that it will make you salivate. It should also be noted that the Pao Mo served should have Pao Mo as the base, vermicelli covering it in a net shape, and chopped green onions, coriander, and beef and mutton arranged in the shape of a fish on the top. Otherwise, you can just joke and ask if the master hired by your boss is called Nan Guo.

When eating, hold the spoon in your left hand and the chopsticks in your right hand. After the Pao Mo is served, spread the spicy sauce on top. Do not stir it. Pay attention to "nibbling" from one side to maintain the freshness. An old foodie said that this way the fresh and hot air will not dissipate. But I think if you stir it too much, the Pao Mo will not be Pao Mo, and the most terrible thing is that the mutton soup will turn into a paste. Whether to use pickled garlic is a personal choice. After the meal, drink a small bowl of broth made from the original juice to freshen your mouth.