Tianjin Whole Lamb Soup

Tianjin Whole Lamb Soup

　　Tianjin Light Fare — Whole Lamb Soup

　　Tianjin locals prefer to start their mornings in late autumn and winter with a bowl of “Whole Lamb Soup,” which not only helps build warmth but also offers rich nutrition. The main ingredients used in “Whole Lamb Soup” include cooked lamb tripe, cooked lamb bone marrow, cooked lamb eyes, cooked lamb brain, cooked lamb gourd (a part of the lamb stomach near the honeycomb tripe), cooked lamb honeycomb tripe, cooked lamb liver, cooked lamb heart, cooked lamb lung, cooked lamb chitterlings, and cooked lamb tendons. These are cut into strips, pieces, or slices, blanched in boiling water, drained, then stir-fried with shredded green onions and ginger to release their aroma (except for the bone marrow, eyes, and brain). Cooking wine is added, followed by broth made from beef and chicken. The soup is brought to a boil over high heat, then simmered on medium heat. After three minutes, the bone marrow, brain, and eyes are added. Once the soup boils again, scum is skimmed off. It is served with sesame flatbread, best enjoyed hot. Some versions of Whole Lamb Soup don’t use salt or MSG for seasoning, but instead mix sesame paste, fermented tofu, salt, and MSG into a dipping sauce, which is added to the soup. A selection of garlic chive flower sauce and chili oil is also provided, giving the dish an even more distinctive flavor. Tianjin’s Halal restaurant Hongqishun has featured Whole Lamb Soup as part of formal banquet meals, turning it into a standout soup dish in Halal banquets. In 2000, it was named one of China’s Famous Snacks by the Chinese Culinary Association.