Xisha Yangwei (Fried Bean-Paste Puffs)
Balls of fine red bean paste coated in a whisked egg-white batter, deep-fried until puffed and pale gold, dusted with sugar and served hot; the name refers to the shape, not to mutton.
How to eat it
The puffs come out of the fryer a minute before they reach the table, so wait before the first bite; the bean paste inside holds heat far longer than the shell. Pick one up with chopsticks and bite it in half rather than putting it in whole. The batter is airy and collapses quickly, which is why the plate is served immediately and eaten first, ahead of any fruit. Powdered sugar on top is the only seasoning. This is a sweet course and comes at the end of a banquet, not with the savoury dishes.
The story behind the dish
The dish belongs to the older repertoire of Zhejiang banquet sweets and is shared between Hangzhou and Huzhou, both of which claim it. The puzzling name is explained by appearance: the fried puffs, oval and pale with a slight point, were said to look like the fat tails of the sheep once driven through the region, and cooks kept the joke. "Xi sha" means finely sieved bean paste, the mark of a careful kitchen. The egg-white batter technique, which traps air and puffs in hot oil, is what separates it from ordinary sesame balls. It is not widely sold today outside restaurants that keep the old menus.
For reference
Every kitchen does it its own way. What follows is the typical version — ingredients, heat and price shift from city to city and from one restaurant to the next, so take it as a guide rather than a fixed recipe.
If you have an allergy or something you can't eat, check with the staff before you order.