Yulin Lamb Offal Stew

Yulin Lamb Offal Stew

　　Yulin Lamb Offal Stew is a specialty snack from Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. The dish is made by stewing a mix of lamb’s head, hooves, blood, liver, heart, intestines, stomach, and other parts, hence it is commonly called “lamb offal stew.”

　　Since these are all by-products of butchering a sheep, it is also known colloquially as “sheep’s innards.” Yulin has traditionally been an agricultural and pastoral area, with numerous flocks of sheep and cattle, thus an abundance of sheep and cattle “innards.” However, in the early days, people in Yulin did not eat lamb offal. After slaughtering a sheep, they would keep the meat and feed the intestines, stomachs, heads, and hooves to dogs. Once, a wealthy family slaughtered a sheep to entertain guests, and there was too much offal for the dogs to finish, so they asked their farmhands to throw it away. The farmhand felt it was a waste and gave it to a poor family. The poor family processed and stewed the offal, and the resulting dish had a fragrance that wafted for miles. From then on, lamb offal stew appeared in Yulin.

　　The essence of lamb offal stew lies in its variety and texture. Without this mix of different parts, the dish lacks flavor. Nothing is discarded—the sheep’s head, hooves, blood, lungs, heart, liver, stomach, and intestines are all used. Leave out any one, and the stew tastes bland. Cleaning is a meticulous process. A set of offal often needs to be washed more than ten times and soaked in clean water for a while. This method ensures the offal is clean, free of greasiness, and retains the unique flavor of lamb offal. Then, it is cut into different shapes—slices, chunks, shreds, strips. The stomach strips must be cut extremely fine, and the heart, liver, blood, and lungs should be evenly mixed. The offal is simmered over low heat in a pot, and fine vermicelli can also be added. When eating, you can season it to taste with chili powder, cilantro, scallion shreds, ginger powder, and others.

　　Lamb offal stew combines all kinds of sheep innards in one pot, featuring diverse textures, varied meat types, and a well-balanced sour and spicy flavor. It is free of fishy odors, not greasy, with a delicious broth that stimulates the appetite. The rich nutrition makes it ideal for colder northern climates—it warms the body and drives out the chill. Diners often feel their whole body warm up after just half a bowl, and by the time they finish a full bowl, they’re breaking into a sweat. Lamb offal stew is both affordable and convenient to eat.