Warm-mixed Shredded Kidney

Warm-mixed Shredded Kidney

　　A traditional famous dish from Shaanxi Province, it is one of the top ten signature dishes of Xi’an Restaurant, which specializes in Shaanxi cuisine. Warm-mixed Shredded Kidney evolved from the Tang Dynasty dish “Lamb Skin Flower Strips.” It gets its name from being made with pork kidney and other ingredients and seasonings using a warm-mixing method. It is one of the representative dishes that uses low-grade ingredients to create a high-end dish. With fine knife work and exquisite cooking techniques, the resulting dish features crisp and tender shredded kidney, with the aromas of ginger, garlic, and prickly ash oil complementing each other perfectly. The flavor is rich and mellow, yet refreshing and palatable.

　　　　According to *Compendium of Materia Medica*, regularly eating pork kidney can “regulate kidney qi, unblock the bladder, warm the waist and knees, and treat deafness,” and it has the effects of “nourishing kidney qi, relieving food stagnation, eliminating cold dysentery, and quenching thirst.”

　　　　The basic preparation method is as follows: first, peel the membrane off the pork kidney, cut it in half, remove all the kidney fat, then slice it into thin pieces, and cut it lengthwise into fine shreds. Boil until the color turns white, then remove, drain, and place in a bowl. Mix with cooking wine and soy sauce. Separately, blanch vermicelli, shredded lettuce, and shredded wood ear mushrooms in boiling water, place them in another bowl, and mix with salt, cooking wine, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Arrange on a plate, with the shredded kidney placed on top. Sprinkle with minced ginger, minced garlic, and white pepper, then pour hot prickly ash oil over. Cover with another plate (or bowl) for a short while before uncovering. Mix well with chopsticks before serving. (Xi’an)