Kao Yang Yan (Grilled Sheep Eyes)
When you bite, it explodes in your mouth!? Cumin-scented sheep eyeball BBQ
Description
A massively popular skewer in Northwest China (Xinjiang). Whole sheep eyeballs threaded onto a skewer, dusted heavily with cumin and chili, and charcoal-grilled. Visually terrifying, but possessing an incredible texture.
Restaurants serving Kao Yang Yan (Grilled Sheep Eyes)
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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
- Sheep eyeballs
- Lamb fat
- Cumin powder
- Coarse chili
- Salt
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Extract eyeballs from a fresh sheep's head. Wash them carefully, 'intentionally leaving some of the surrounding muscle and fat attached' (this meat is incredibly delicious when grilled).
- Do not boil. Skewer 3-
- raw eyeballs onto a metal stick, usually with the pupils facing outward.
- Place over high charcoal heat. Baste with lamb tail fat (Yang Wei You) and grill until the exterior sizzles and chars.
- As the fluid inside the eyeball boils and swells the eye tight, aggressively shower it with massive amounts of cumin powder, coarse red chili, and salt to maximize the roasted aroma.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Cumin、Intense aroma of lamb fat
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Irreplaceable - completely unique)
Pairing
Cold Beer / Baijiu
Trivia
[Hardcore] If you can overcome the intense visual of 'it staring at you', you are rewarded with a premium BBQ experience—like a cross between the melting collagen around a fish's eye and the rich fat of a lamb chop.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Must be eaten piping hot. Pull one eyeball off with your teeth and bite down with your molars. It will violently 'POP!', exploding boiling hot, gelatinous fluid and fatty umami all over your mouth.
Allergen
Mutton