He pours in some pre-made lamb broth and brings it to a boil followed by the contents of the bread bowl. After cooking for just a few minutes (remember the roaring flame!), he scoops everything up in a giant ladle and places it gently in a bowl. The cook then places spring onions or scallions, cilantro, vermicelli noodles, seasonings, and large slices of pre-cooked lamb in the bowl on top of the torn bread.Voila! It’s done!
The result is a mouth-watering hot bowl of soup with floating pieces of bread that absorb all the deep flavors of the homemade lamb broth. The cooked lamb slices are deliciously tender and delicate when they enter your mouth. The spring onions add a bit of sweetness and brightness to the dish, and the pickled garlic on the side cuts right through the rich broth, creating a perfect harmonious bite. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! One more bowl please!
The Hui Min are Chinese Muslim people, so all of their food abides by Halal standards. In China, pork is eaten at almost every meal. It is an inexpensive source of protein, as far as meat goes, and pigs are quite easy to raise. Many farmers who keep livestock raise pigs. Hui Min Jie is a street within a larger Muslim Quarter in Xi’an city, where a majority of the inhabitants are Muslim. This common religious belief creates a unique environment for the Hui people, especially in regards to food.
The absence of pork from their diet, amongst other things, lead the Hui people to search for another source of readily available protein. Lamb and beef are popular choices, but lamb is preferred by far.
