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Original generated guide illustration of a home-style pin sanxian bowl with fried pork balls, firm fried tofu, broad starch sheets and vegetables in three-meat broth; not restaurant photography.
Shaanxi

Yulin Pin Sanxian (Three-Meat Stew)

拼三鲜Pīn sānxiān

Yulin three-meat broth with fried pork balls and starch sheets

Pork, sheep meat and chicken flavor this Yulin-style broth. This home-style version adds fried pork-belly meatballs, fried tofu, wide starch sheets, wood-ear fungus, dried daylily buds, spinach and potato.

Heat
Not recorded
Region
Shaanxi
Type
Dishes
Order in Chinese

At the table

How to enjoy it

Lift the wide starch sheets with chopsticks and use a spoon for the broth. Share the bowl, let hot pieces cool and watch for any bones in the cooked meat.

A useful check

Contains pork, sheep meat, chicken, egg and soy; neither vegetarian nor vegan. Soy sauce or prepared starch sheets may contain wheat. Cooking wine is used: ask about seasonings if avoiding alcohol.

How it may vary

The stock uses dried chilies; the amount varies. Ask for less chili if needed. Pepper’s sharpness and Sichuan pepper’s numbing sensation differ from chili heat.

GET TO KNOW THE DISH

What goes into it?

Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.

Other versions add braised pork belly, steamed meatballs or egg-wrapped rolls. This home-style bowl uses fried meatballs and tofu; ingredients and cooking methods vary.

Typical ingredients

AI-generated ingredient illustration: raw boneless pork with fine fat marbling, shown as a piece and cubes.Pork猪肉Generated guide illustration of sheep meat slices.Sheep meat (lamb or mutton)羊肉AI-generated ingredient illustration: raw skinless boneless chicken breast and small pieces, one possible chicken-meat form.Chicken鸡肉Generated guide illustration of pork belly; not a restaurant or product photograph.Pork belly豬五花肉Generated guide illustration of plain hydrated broad starch sheets; not a crop, brand or restaurant photograph.Starch sheets (fenpi)粉皮Generated guide illustration of fried tofu slices, the form described in the luzhu reference.Tofu豆腐Generated guide illustration of wood ear.Wood-ear fungus木耳Generated guide illustration of dried lily buds. Not a product photograph.Dried daylily buds干黄花菜Generated guide illustration of spinach.Spinach菠菜Generated guide illustration of potato; not a restaurant or product photograph.Potato馬鈴薯AI-generated ingredient illustration: raw chicken eggs in their shells and one raw yolk and white in a bowl.Chicken egg鸡蛋Generated guide illustration of powdered cooking starch; its crop is unspecified in the dish reference.Culinary starch淀粉AI-generated ingredient illustration of fresh scallions, with white bulbs, roots, and tubular green leaves.Scallions葱Generated guide illustration of ginger; not a restaurant or product photograph.Ginger姜AI-generated ingredient illustration: clear amber cooking wine in a bowl, one yellow-rice-wine appearance.Cooking wine料酒AI-generated ingredient illustration: dried red chili pods, including a broken pod and its seeds.Dried red chilies干红辣椒Generated guide illustration of dried red Sichuan peppercorn husksSichuan peppercorns花椒Generated guide illustration of cassia bark. Not a product photograph.Cassia bark桂皮Generated guide illustration of bay leaf; not physical ingredient or product evidence.Bay leaf香叶Generated guide illustration of star anise.Star anise八角Generated guide illustration of salt; not a restaurant or product photograph.Salt食盐AI-generated ingredient illustration: ground black pepper with irregular dark skin flecks and lighter interior fragments, one common pepper form.Pepper胡椒Generated guide illustration of soy sauce; not a restaurant or product photograph.Soy sauce醬油AI-generated ingredient illustration: pale golden liquid cooking oil in a bowl, shown as one possible appearance.Cooking oil食用油

Recipes vary by restaurant.

How does it taste?

Rich, savory broth with warm spices. Dried chili adds heat; pepper and Sichuan pepper bring separate pungency and a numbing tingle.

Chili heat
Heat not recorded
Texture
Soft, slippery starch sheets, springy pork balls and firm fried tofu strips, with potato softened by the broth.
How it’s made
Pork, sheep meat and chicken simmer into a spiced broth. Pork-belly meatballs, tofu and potato are fried separately, then simmered with starch sheets, wood-ear, daylily buds and spinach.

Other versions add braised pork belly, steamed meatballs or egg-wrapped rolls. This home-style bowl uses fried meatballs and tofu; ingredients and cooking methods vary.

A CONNECTION TO PLACE

Origin & regional roots

Shaanxi
Explore regional food

Associated with Shaanxi.

About this regional connection

Shaanxi: Actualheritageentry/YulinrestaurantprimarypagesestablishYulinassociation; primaryhomeversionidentifies陕北. No exclusiveoriginorcurrentvenueclaim.

Ask if they have it first

ASK IF IT'S AVAILABLE

请问你们有拼三鲜吗？

Do you have this item?

A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ

Story & history

The three meats behind the name

This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.

Here the three savory flavors come from pork, sheep meat and chicken. In Yulin, pin sanxian is a substantial dish for shared banquets. Several separately prepared foods meet in one broth, so the name does not limit the bowl to three ingredients.

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