paomo

{{short description|Chinese traditional dish from Xi'an}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}

{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}

{{Infobox Chinese|pic=Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup.jpg|picsize=200px|piccap=Lamb paomo

|t=泡饃|s=泡馍|p= pàomó|l=soaked mó}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Paomo

| image = Paomo.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = A bowl of paomo served in the cafeteria of Xi'an Jiaotong University

| alternate_name =

| country = China

| region = Shaanxi

| creator =

| course =

| type = Stew

| served =

| main_ingredient = Bread, lamb broth, lamb meat

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

Paomo is a popular specialty of Shaanxi cuisine common throughout Xi'an and other cities of Guanzhong. It is a hot stew of minced steamed leavened flatbread, known regionally as mo ({{lang-zh|s=馍|t=饃|p=mó|labels=no|first=t}}), cooked and served with lamb or beef.

Lamb paomo ({{lang-zh|s=羊肉泡馍|t=羊肉泡饃|p=yángròu pàomó|labels=no|first=t}}){{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/food/2004-05/14/content_1470562.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040713221247/http://news.xinhuanet.com/food/2004-05/14/content_1470562.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 13, 2004|title=陕西小吃-羊肉泡馍 |publisher=News.xinhuanet.com|date=|accessdate=2012-05-10}} is made of lamb soup and a great amount of unleavened flat bread. When making this dish, the cook breaks the bread into small pieces and adds them to the lamb soup. The beef version is beef paomo ({{lang-zh|s=牛肉泡馍|t=牛肉泡饃|p=niúròu pàomó|labels=no|first=t}}). Paomo is often eaten with pickled garlic and chili sauce.

==Production==

The {{Transliteration|zh|mo}} used in {{Transliteration|zh|paomo}} is a type of shaobing, baked from unleavened flour. Lamb or beef is boiled with bones, Sichuan pepper, star anise, tsaoko, cinnamon, and other spices until the meat is tender and the broth is done. In traditional restaurants, customers must break up the bread themselves first into thumb-sized chunks before handing it back to the chef. The restaurant then boils the broth, thins it with hot water, and adds in the prepared meat along with cellophane noodles. After the soup is heated up, the broken-up bread is added in before being topped off with spices and a drizzle of lamb oil. Customers may then add chili oil, cilantro, or garlic to their liking. The garlic is sometimes pickled in a sour-sweet vinegar and sugar concoction.