Pure Yam Soup

Public reference · Home adaptation Soups take three seats among the twelve and this is the third, also the quietest. The source's 'half water and half mountain' puts it on the mountain side — yam and ingredients that come from the hills; after the knuckle and the braised fish, the table needs something that washes the palate clean. Yam works because it brings its own mucilage and sweetness, thickening without stock, which is exactly what the word 'pure' is doing in the name. The menu source is the Xuancheng municipal government's 'Maolin twelve bowls banquet', which records dish names and serving order only (si-pure yam soup) and no method. **The source records only the dish name and its place; this version's technique comes from a published yam-and-egg-white soup and has no correspondence to the Maolin twelve-bowls kitchen. It is not a historical original.** The reference states: peel the yam, pound it with the flat of a cleaver and chop it a little, keeping a small granular texture plus a paste (blend it if you prefer no texture); loosen the yam with a little cold water and half a spoon of salt, stirred with chopsticks; heat a little oil and fry minced pork, carrot, shiitake, dried scallop and dried shrimp, season, add the loosened yam and stir continuously over medium-low heat (not stirring makes it catch), adding a little boiling water if it gets too thick, then celery and finally the beaten egg, stirring quickly and turning off the heat as it boils. The page also stresses that enough yam must be used, since its mucilage gives a thick, milky broth and makes the egg ribbons beautiful. **That reference is a yam soup with minced pork, carrot, shiitake, dried scallop, dried shrimp, celery, egg and sesame oil. Guided by the word 'pure' in the dish name, this version keeps only the yam and sugar and drops all of those, including the egg ribbons and the oil — an editorial change made because of the name, and stated here; it is not a reproduction of the reference as written. Three points are kept from the reference: pound the yam and loosen it with cold water, stir continuously over medium-low heat so it does not catch, and loosen with boiling water if it gets too thick.** The endpoint — thick enough to coat a spoon but still drinkable — is an editorial setting and this has not been kitchen-tested. On the table: the source's 'half thin and half dry, half water and half mountain' places this bowl on the 'mountain' side, and it is the lightest of the twelve. Vegetarian: no meat, egg, milk or shellfish. Contains sugar, so reduce the rock sugar if you are managing blood sugar. Yam sap makes skin itch — wear gloves to peel — and its mucilage stings the mouth, so cut yam is not eaten raw. AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a kitchen-tested dish. 茂林十二碗宴席（宣城市人民政府，2023-02-13，信息来源：市文旅局） — Menu basis: it records 'half thin and half dry, half water and half mountain' and lists 'si-pure yam soup' in serving order, with 'mountain' meaning ingredients such as yam. It records dish names and order only, with no methods. https://www.xuancheng.gov.cn/News/show/634526.html 皖美宝藏小城丨食遇泾县（泾县人民政府·泾县文化旅游） — Jing County corroboration: the Maolin twelve bowls are 'all different, alternating meat and vegetables, thick and light'; it also records that in the bamboo banquet 'every part of the bamboo is used, the Jing County people put it all to work', sustaining a 'cook with what the land gives, honour the natural flavour' tradition — a reference for mountain ingredients at the table. It records no method for yam soup. https://www.ahjx.gov.cn/News/show/1698460.html 下厨房：无油清爽版—山药芙蓉汤 — The method: half a yam, a third of a carrot, five greens, a third of a box of shimeji, a handful of sweetcorn, two eggs, 4 g salt, 5 g pepper and five drops of sesame oil. Everything is washed and chopped; the yam must be sufficient, since its quantity is what makes the broth thick. Six hundred millilitres of water goes into the pot with the ingredients (not the green leaves yet) and 3 g salt; bring to the boil over high heat and cook about three minutes. The broth thickens because of the mucilage in the yam, and a white foam rises as it does — skim it for a cleaner broth. Add the green leaves, cook about a minute after it boils, then pour in the egg while sliding gently to form ribbons. The page stresses that enough yam is needed for a thick, milky base. https://m.xiachufang.com/recipe/106103878/

Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.