Lanzhou Grilled Lamb Skewers 兰州烤羊肉

Lanzhou Grilled Lamb Skewers (兰州烤羊肉) are lamb skewers grilled over charcoal in Lanzhou (兰州), Gansu, which a Gansu Daily (甘肃日报) feature on the city's winter food names as the one thing not to miss at a Lanzhou night market.

How it is made

Each skewer is threaded with two lean pieces of lamb and one fatty piece between them. A thick layer of chilli powder goes on, and the oil holds it fast to the meat. The grill cook works a whole handful of skewers at once, flipping them up and down while the fat inside the meat melts and drips onto the charcoal, flaring as it lands. That dripping fat leaves the outside charred and crisp and the inside juicy.

Flavour and texture

For all the chilli, the Gansu Daily feature says the aroma stands out more than the heat. The same grills turn out more than lamb skewers: grilled lamb tripe is sour, spicy, tender and springy, and grilled lamb ribs are streaked with fat and lean, salty and savoury.

How it is eaten

Lanzhou Grilled Lamb Skewers belong to the night markets. The Lanzhou commerce bureau quotes a visitor from Hangzhou who says that sitting at a roadside stall with grilled lamb and milk-and-egg fermented rice soup (牛奶鸡蛋醪糟), listening to people joke in the local dialect, is the fastest way to get to know the city.