In the hearts of foreign tourists from afar, Huifang (Muslim Street) is the representative place of Xi'an food culture, and beef and mutton are also the favorite of Xi'an people, however, beyond the perception of most people, Xi'an's ethnic minority population accounts for only nearly 1% of the total population, of which the proportion of Hui people is even lower, and beef and mutton are not the staple meat products of Xi'an people. Having said that, for tourists, Huifang is still a place that cannot be bypassed in the whole of Xi'an, and all kinds of beef and mutton snacks are bound to appear in front of tourists.

Because of the "Bite of China 3" and the fire of the old Bai family water basin mutton is one of the most famous small shops in Xi'an, the 86-year-old founder Bai Yuting opened this water basin mutton shop in the 80s of the last century, and now the shop has been handed over to his son Bai Wenping to cook.

The focus of the mutton in the old Baijia water basin is in the soup, the mutton bones, the beef bones are soaked in water as an important base and then boiled with water, the whole process pays attention to the soup is clear and pure, skimming off the impurities, foaming and then adding pepper, cumin, star anise, cinnamon, horn ginger and other spices to cook with the meat, and finally seal the broth with the waist plate, so that the meat and the soup are better combined. This exquisite preparation method results in an excellent taste, the soup is fresh and smooth, and the flavor of the spices is rich but does not steal the limelight from the original flavor of beef and sheep. The meat slices float in the water, fat and thin, and the entrance is soft and tender. As for the tuotuo bun served by the store, the way to eat it is casual, you can either break it up and put it in the soup, or you can eat it with a mouthful of soup.

Lao Baijia water basin mutton is highly controversial in the local area, and the controversy is nothing more than that many people accuse it of being inauthentic, in fact, tracing back to the source, the entire Huifang and even Xi'an rarely have fully authentic water basin mutton. The most authentic water basin mutton comes from the three counties of Dali, Pucheng and Chengcheng in Weinan, among which Chengcheng water basin mutton has the longest history. In Chengcheng, shops generally use crescent-shaped baked cakes and round baked cakes with broth, and the flour is all raised. In terms of eating methods, according to the different requirements for taste, some diners will stuff mutton into the cake, make meat buns and then drink soup; There are also diners who break the pancakes into bowls to make mutton steamed buns. The old Bai family and even the water basin mutton shop in Xi'an mostly use the mixed dough and dead dough bun with broth, which is thicker and harder than the baked cake.

Compared with the water basin mutton in Weinan, the same style in Xi'an is indeed not "authentic", and has also been criticized by many old Shaanxi, however, for tourists from afar, it is still a snack that is difficult to bypass in the city. The reason why Lao Baijia Shuipan mutton can get the top spot on the list is not only because of its unique flavor, but also because of its relatively light taste under the spice aroma, which also makes it have a wider audience.

Lao Bai's house is not a simple small shop, this store can be called the top of the list in terms of decoration and hygiene. Its door is a plaque with gold letters on a black background, and the eaves above are carefully painted with murals, which is very exotic. The lights in the store have the same name, and I don't feel depressed. The table and chairs are old-fashioned eight-immortal tables with benches, with a slightly retro atmosphere. There are no grease stains on the table, clean and tidy, and the waiter is there with a warm attitude.