Braised Sheep Offal Soup

Braised sheep offal soup takes cleaned sheep head, tripe, lung and intestines, cuts them into strips and simmers them with the original bone broth and glass noodles; finished with a glossy red chilli oil and a scatter of coriander, scallion and pepper, the broth is milky-white, the offal soft and yielding, the aroma hot and inviting.

The Hui of the northwest have long eaten sheep offal, and Yinchuan's braised version draws on the fine offal of local tan-sheep and the pungent seasonings of the Yellow River farmlands to form its own rich-broth school, one of the most beloved warming snacks at the city's morning and night markets.

Served piping hot, one first stirs in the red oil and sips the rich broth, then dips the offal into the spicy soup and eats it with a freshly baked sesame flatbread or steamed bun, the most satisfying way to brave a Yinchuan winter street.

The milky-rich broth, the glossy red chilli oil, the soft tan-sheep offal and the warming street-side mood define Yinchuan braised sheep offal soup.