Paomo is a mutton soup popular in northern China, often served with flatbread. It is made with lamb or mutton, braised and cooked with garlic, onions, ginger, and noodles. The soup is served with crumbled bread and pickled garlic for seasoning.
Also called yangrou paomo, paomo is a type of mutton soup that goes with flat bread. Popular in Xi’an in northern China, this soup can be found in both local restaurants and many larger chains in the region. Paomo is an inexpensive, but thick and meaty dish with an Arab influence.
Both lamb and mutton, meat from adult sheep, are used in paomo. The meat is washed before being cooked. Then it is often braised. Braising meat involves first frying it briefly before including it in a soup or stew where it finishes cooking. Mutton or lamb bones are usually included in the soup as it cooks, but beef bones could also be included.
Garlic, onions, or shallots and ginger are always used in this soup, as are thin glass or wheat noodles. Sometimes cumin, coriander, red pepper and green onion are also included. Salt and pepper are usually added to taste. Pickled garlic cloves, chili paste, or cilantro are often used for garnishes.
Bread is also an important part of paomo. Similar to pita bread, the flat bread used for paomo is a plain bread, made mostly of flour, salt, and water. It is usually steamed and is quite fresh and dry.
To make paomo, the bones, meat, and most seasonings are placed in a pot with water. The soup is then heated and left to simmer for up to four hours. The bones, as well as the herbs and vegetables, are discarded when the soup is made so that only the meat and stock remain.
To remove the seasonings, the broth may be strained or it may be packed in a muslin cloth before being added to the soup. Grouping the toppings makes it simple to scoop them out when the soup is complete. Salt, pepper and cumin, if used, are added to the full stock.
To serve, the bread is crumbled into small pieces and placed in a bowl. In restaurants, diners are usually given a whole loaf of bread and left to crumble on their own. The pieces of bread should be very small, just pea-sized, because they will absorb the broth and expand considerably. After the bread is crumbled, the broth is poured into the bowl along with the pieces of lamb or mutton. Pickled garlic is the most common seasoning for this soup and can be combined with chili sauce or cilantro.
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