Yáng Ròu Pào Mó 羊肉泡馍 and Pickled Garlic

The best Yang Rou Pao Mo (羊肉泡馍, Mutton and Chopped Mantou Noodle Soup), I ever had

Walking east along Guanghua Lu, I spot a shop with people seated at five small tables outside, slurping soup. I look inside the shop and see a poster featuring the same dish everyone is eating. My nephew, friend, and I sit at a table and order three of whatever they’re having.

First, the server brings three saucers, each with several cloves of pickled garlic, chopped cilantro, and a scoop of chili paste. I’m so hungry I eat a clove, then another, and another until they’re gone. The last time I ate pickled garlic, I was six years old and my mother canned them in Kerr jars. Noticing my cloves had vanished, the host replenishes our table with a heaping plate of the sweet and vinegary garnish.

One large fragrant bowl arrived at our table every 6-8 minutes until our party of three could finally begin eating; I justify the preparation speed, imagining every hearty brew made with love. We stir in the garnishes and commence our chorus of slurping. It’s hard to set the spoon down while wanting just another bite of chopped chewy mantou and mutton slices. The servers watch us, smiling while we inhale our soup as if it wasn’t summer season. Bellies full, we fight gravity as we leave the table and thank our hosts, “Xiexie!” We ask them if they could impart a lesson on how to make the soup, but the host suggests a trip to Xī’ān would promise a better Yang Rou Pao Mo 羊肉泡馍.

Update: This little hole-in-the-wall no longer exists. To date, it was the best Yang Rou Pao Mo, I’ve ever had; my first and my last. Another place to find decent Yang Rou Pao Mo is at Yellow River Noodle at Gongti Dongmen.

Yellow River Noodle / 黄河水陕西小吃
Address: 工人体育场东门 / East Gate of Workers Stadium, Beijing, China
Telephone: 010-58426260

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