At the table
Take small portions with a spoon or chopsticks, gently loosening any clumps.
This version contains wheat and pork fat. For a vegetarian diet, ask about cooking fat and seasoning.
Cooking fat and aromatics vary. Sichuan pepper may be added.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Cooking fat and aromatics vary. Sichuan pepper may be added.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Mild fresh herbal flavor and savory pork fat with scallion.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Tender fruits with a moist, crumbly flour coating.
- How it’s made
- Washed elm fruits are coated in flour and steamed, then briefly stir-fried with pork fat, scallion and Chinese chive flowers.
Cooking fat and aromatics vary. Sichuan pepper may be added.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Its origins are linked to Gansu.
About this regional connection
Gansu: Dunhuang households, and Shazhou night market for visitors.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有敦煌榆钱饭吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Dunhuang yuqianfan (steamed elm fruits)
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
In Dunhuang, eating elm fruits marks spring. Steaming followed by stir-frying brings this brief seasonal ingredient into home cooking.