Mutton-Stuffed Griddle Bread 羊肉炕馍

Mutton-Stuffed Griddle Bread (羊肉炕馍) is a Kaifeng (开封) night-market snack: minced mutton and seasonings enclosed in thin white-flour flatbread and cooked on a griddle until the outside is crisp. The Gulou District (鼓楼区) government lists it among the specialities of the Kaifeng area, and the Kaifeng culture and tourism bureau names it, with almond tea and fried bean jelly, among the foods of the Kaifeng night market.

How it is made

The main ingredients are thin flatbread and mutton. Chopped spring onion, salt and cumin are among the other ingredients, and minced mutton with a special seasoning mix is enclosed in thin white-flour bread. The filled bread is then cooked on the griddle repeatedly; this griddle-baking, kang (炕), gives the dish its name.

Flavour and texture

The outer bread is browned, crisp and fragrant, while the bread itself stays chewy. The filling tastes strongly of browned minced mutton. One Gulou night-market seller advertises it with the call "crisp skin, fragrant filling".

How it is eaten

It is eaten at Kaifeng's evening food markets. The Gulou District government points visitors to the Gulou night market (鼓楼夜市) and the Xisi night market (西司夜市), and names Ersao Mutton Kangmo (二嫂羊肉炕馍) as a place to try it. In 2020 People's Daily Online reported a long queue at a Gulou night-market stall run by a vendor surnamed Hai, whose family has sold it there since the market first opened and who serves both local regulars and visitors from outside the city.