Description
The absolute pinnacle of mutton dishes boasted by the Islamic minorities (Hui/Uyghur) of Northwest China. No heavy spices to hide behind; premium bone-in mutton is simply 'boiled with salt'. You grab it with your hands and eat it while taking bites of raw garlic, returning to your wild roots.
Restaurants serving Shou Zhua Yang Rou (Hand-Grabbed Boiled Mutton)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Premium bone-in mutton
- Scallion
- Ginger
- Sichuan pepper
- Coarse salt
- Unpeeled raw garlic cloves
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Mutton Selection) Because you can't hide faults, you MUST select premium, odorless spring lamb from the Northwest (bone-in ribs/legs).
- Soak in cold water for hours to purge blood.
- Place the mutton in a massive pot of water and bring to a high boil.
- [Pro Skill]: Do not add complex spices. Add only scallion, ginger, and a touch of 'Sichuan pepper'. Skim the scum relentlessly.
- Lower heat and gently boil with salt for
- 5-
- hours until the meat is just on the verge of falling off the bone.
- Remove the piping hot meat, chop into large bone-in blocks, and plate.
- Serve with small dishes of 'coarse salt (or pepper-salt)' and 'unpeeled raw garlic cloves'.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense sting of raw garlic、Pure sweetness of lamb fat
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Order fresh bone-in lamb and boil with salt)
Pairing
Lanzhou Beef Noodles / Mutton boiling broth(Yuan Tang)
Trivia
[Trivia] To Northwest locals, the highest compliment for mutton is 'it has no odor, so it's delicious just boiled in salt'. Always on the menu at Lanzhou noodle shops; waiting for your noodles while gnawing on this by hand is the chic local style.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Do not use chopsticks. True to 'Shou Zhua' (Hand-grabbed), hold the hot bone-in meat, dip lightly in coarse salt, and take a massive bite. Immediately after, take a raw crunch of 'unpeeled garlic'. The garlic's heat dramatically elevates the lamb fat.
Allergen
Mutton