Snow Puff Paired

Snow Puff Paired

　　A classic dish from Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Also known as Snow Plum Paired with Yellow Puff. It is a signature delicacy of Qingyazhai Restaurant in Xi'an. The basic preparation method involves: whisking eggs with wet starch and water to make thin pancakes, then folding them into 24 small flatbreads. Diced fatty and lean lamb is minced, then mixed with salt, soy sauce, cooking wine, chopped scallions, five-spice powder, sesame oil, and monosodium glutamate to form a meat filling. The filling is wrapped in small round pancakes to create egg dumplings. Eggs are whisked with wet starch to make a batter; first, the egg dumplings are dusted with flour, then coated with a layer of egg batter, and finally rolled in breadcrumbs. Shrimp meat is shaped into balls, marinated with cooking wine and salt, and simmered into shrimp balls. Egg whites are whisked with wet starch to form a paste, which is used to coat the shrimp balls. Using the egg white paste, one end of each egg dumpling is coated to create the appearance of 24 little white birds. Cooked beef tendon is finely chopped, and small cilantro leaves are selected and attached to the tops of the little white birds as decoration.

　　　　Tomato paste is placed in a bowl and mixed with salt, sugar, wet starch, and monosodium glutamate to prepare a tomato sauce. Two woks are used simultaneously: in one, when the oil is heated to 50% temperature, the egg dumplings are added, fried until golden brown, then removed and placed on a plate; in the other, when the oil reaches 50% heat, egg white batter is poured in, stir-fried until cooked, then scooped out and arranged around the outer rim of a large flat plate to form a snowflake ring. When the oil in the wok is heated to 50% temperature again, the shrimp balls are added, separated with chopsticks, and cooked until just done, then drained of oil. A small amount of remaining oil is kept in the wok; once it is heated to 50% temperature, the tomato sauce is added and stir-fried, then the shrimp balls are added and tossed. Sesame oil is drizzled over before plating, and the mixture is piled in the center of the snowflake ring on the plate. The fried egg dumplings are then arranged around the snowflake ring to complete the dish. 　　　　

　　Its flavor profile is characterized by vibrant colors, an attractive shape, and a rich umami taste. It is a high-protein, low-fat, and nutritious celebratory dish. (Xi'an)