Yanggu Steamed Bowl Dishes 阳谷蒸碗

How it is made

Pieces of meat, spare ribs, chicken or fish are coated in batter and fried, or meatballs are deep-fried. Each portion goes into a small black-glazed bowl known locally as a heidun bowl (黑墩碗), with spring onion, ginger and chilli and spices such as Sichuan pepper, star anise, cassia and cloves. The bowls are stacked in wooden steamer trays, which are piled layer on layer over a large pan on an old-style built stove (盘炉) fired with wood or charcoal.

In the villages, the bureau says, the bowls are steamed for a whole afternoon, three to five hours, on the day before a family event, then steamed for another one to two hours when they are needed, until the meat is so soft it comes away from the bone.

How it is eaten

For serving, each small bowl is turned out upside down into a large bowl or soup plate. A boiling broth mixed from vinegar, soy sauce and bone stock is poured over it, and it is finished with a few drops of sesame oil and chopped coriander.

Flavour and texture

The bureau credits the dish's particular mellow aroma to the mixing of wood smoke from the fire, the scent of the wooden steamers and the smells of the steamed meats and fish. It describes the finished bowls as glistening, very soft and falling off the bone, seasoned right through, salty and sour in balance, and melting in the mouth.