Description
A dynamic pot of lamb spine bones—named because they look like 'Scorpions' (Xie Zi)—boiled heavily in dozens of medicinal spices and chilies. A Beijing winter soul food meant for sucking the marrow.
Restaurants serving Yang Xie Zi (Braised Lamb Spine)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Lamb spine bones
- Beef tallow
- Doubanjiang
- Chili
- Sichuan peppercorn
- Cumin
- Star anise/Cinnamon etc.
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Use lamb spine (Yang Xie Zi), named for its scorpion-like shape. Saw into chunks, soak in cold water for a half-day to thoroughly purge the strong lamb blood odor.
- Blanch violently in boiling water with scallion, ginger, Sichuan pepper to remove scum.
- Heat beef tallow in a wok, fry Doubanjiang, massive dried chilies, and Sichuan pepper to bleed out 'Hong You' (red oil).
- Add 20+ medicinal spices (star anise, cinnamon, black cardamom, angelica, cumin) to build a brutal Ma La broth base.
- Add the spines, soy, wine, and broth. Cover and simmer on low for
- hours until the meat is falling off the bone.
- Serve directly in a massive clay or iron pot. Wear plastic gloves, gnaw the meat, and suck the marrow.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Cumin、Sichuan peppercorn、Intense lamb flavor
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Pork spine (but the flavor changes completely)
Pairing
Baijiu (Erguotou) / Hand-pulled noodles(as finisher)
Trivia
[Trivia] On sub-zero winter nights in Beijing, massive lines form at Yang Xie Zi specialty shops. The synergy of lamb and medicinal spices makes your body burn with heat from the core.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] First, eat in silence, scraping the meat off the complex bones with your teeth. Crack the bones to enthusiastically suck out the marrow. Finally, finish by dropping flat noodles into the rich remaining broth.
Allergen
Mutton, Beef (when using beef tallow), Wheat, Soybeans