Sheep Blood Lamb Noodles

Sheep Blood Lamb Noodles

　　“Lamb noodles” are nothing unusual in Shaanxi, especially those from northern Shaanxi, which are the most famous. Traditionally, lamb noodles are made from buckwheat or sorghum flour, pressed through a noodle press. However, with the passage of time, most lamb noodles sold in supermarkets today are made from mixed flours, and some are even made purely from refined wheat flour. That faint, slightly bitter fragrance unique to pure buckwheat flour is rarely encountered anymore.

　　Typically, visitors to Xi’an will go out of their way to find well-known lamb noodle shops. But to be honest, for those who have lived here for a while, no single shop really stands head and shoulders above the rest. As a widely loved everyday snack, you can find delicious lamb noodles in street stalls, roadside shops, or even breakfast and night markets—if you keep your eyes open. Lamb noodles are often served cold (similar to how cold skin noodles are eaten), but if you’re looking for something truly memorable and distinctive, sheep blood lamb noodles are the way to go. Probably because they’re cheap and not complicated to make, sheep blood lamb noodles are definitely not found in big restaurants—you’ll only spot them at small stalls in Xi’an’s morning and night markets. As for these sheep blood lamb noodles, their appearance may be unremarkable, but their preparation method is quite unique—it’s called “mao” (冒). Here, “mao” is a verb, meaning something closer to blanching. The lamb noodles and sheep blood are scooped into a bowl, and then the vendor swiftly ladles boiling broth over them several times. After repeated dousing, once they’re thoroughly cooked, softened, and heated inside and out, more broth is added along with chopped scallions or garlic sprouts, cilantro, minced meat, salt, sesame oil, lard or sheep/goat fat, and finally mustard and chili oil. And that’s how it’s done.