#精品长文创作季#
The "ceiling" of Chinese mutton!
Just after the great cold, a cold wave swept across the land of China, especially in many parts of the south, where rare heavy snow fell. The more cold the wind is wanton and the weather is cold to the bone, the more I crave the warm and fresh comfort - mutton!
Hot and fragrant, the most gluttonous food in winter is mutton. When it comes to eating sheep, the first thing to look at is the great northwest, especially Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other provinces in the traditional five pastoral areas. But there is a small non-pastoral autonomous region province hidden in the northwest, and the mutton produced here can be said to be a strong contender in the Chinese mutton championship -
Yu Xia!
The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is surrounded by high mountains, Gobi and deserts, and the Yellow River winds on the east side, creating the largest plain in the upper reaches of the Yellow River - the Ningxia Plain; This dramatic landscape also brings with it the gift of nature – a quality sheep breed.
Iced boiled beach sheep, delicious taste.
"Ningxia mutton is the world, Yanchitan mutton is Ningxia".
In Ningxia, good sheep is a commonplace norm, and Yanchitan sheep can be called the "ceiling" of the mutton industry. Judging from the available data, whether it is fiber toughness, water content, concentration of flavor substances, and low content of flavor substances, it is not an exaggeration to say that Ningxia Tan sheep is the "ceiling" of mutton quality.
What's even more surprising is that Ningxia people are not satisfied with this, and even on the basis of this top taste, they have taken the eating method of mutton to the extreme - from these two dimensions, it is not an exaggeration to say that Ningxia is the "first place in eating sheep" in the northwest.
Eat mutton in Ningxia, 9 meals a day are not the same!
On the basis of superior ingredients, Ningxia has developed a variety of ways to eat mutton, the collision of sheep and carbohydrates provokes a heat nuclear bomb, and mutton snacks are also wonderful.
Hand-grasped lamb and roasted whole lamb are not to be missed, spicy fried lamb, bowl of steamed lamb, red stewed lamb make the mouth relish, mutton steamed buns, lamb chops pilaf, lamb haggis, the daily down-to-earth staple food is also dominated by mutton, and there are even unique snacks such as lamb liver cold skin, dumplings in powder soup, stewed snacks and so on......
Ningxia Tan sheep, the real "top stream" in the mutton industry
People who like to eat mutton find it difficult to leave Ningxia Tan sheep, especially Ningxia Yanchi Tan sheep. The salt pond is arid and has little rainfall, the soil has a high salinity concentration, and most of the plants growing are saline-alkaline tolerant vegetation. Chinese herbal medicine and local spring water can effectively neutralize and remove the strong smell caused by fatty acids and other substances in mutton. All these factors have created the proud quality of Yanchitan mutton with delicate quality, almost no fat, and delicious taste.
Yanchitan sheep is a unique breed of sheep.
Today, Tan sheep has become a national second-class protected breed, and has received strict population protection and breeding measures, and has already become a resounding business card of Ningxia.
The road is simple, and the simplest way is to taste the supreme deliciousness. The highest respect for Tan sheep, and at the same time, it is also a signature of Ningxia cuisine, which is to grasp mutton with hands.
Hand finger lamb.
The simplest way to eat hand-grasped mutton comes from the nomadic life of the old days, and the simplest way to grasp it is to add a few pieces of mutton to a pot of water, only put a little salt, and the meat is stewed and removed. After one bite, the tender and mellow aroma of mutton overflows in the mouth. If you want to drink sweet mutton soup, you can add white radish stew; if you prefer the flavor of medicinal food, you can add Ningxia special wolfberry and red dates, codonopsis, astragalus, etc.; or add pepper, jujube, cinnamon, hawthorn, so that the cooked large pieces of mutton, soft and tender bones, the meat is fragrant and not greasy, it is a delicacy that makes everyone not take care of "decency", and they have to grab it by hand and eat meat in large pieces.
Hand grasp mutton, tendon is the finishing touch.
Many Ningxia restaurants often use lamb ribs, chop the mutton into large pieces, cook in the pot until half-cooked and take out, then put the meat pieces on the plate, put onion slices on top and sprinkle a little refined salt, and then put it into the cage to stew until it is ripe and take it out. Coupled with Ningxia's unique chili pepper and balsamic vinegar mixed with green onions, the mutton is mellow and juicy, and the light yellow tendons in it are the unexpected joy of grasping mutton, and one piece is not enough to come again.
Boiled lamb ribs, each one is the essence.
Roasting whole sheep is a high-standard courtesy for Ningxia's hospitality. As soon as it was put on the table, a whole roasted whole lamb made people look at it intently, the eyes were full of golden oil, the nose was full of strange fragrance, and the mouth was full of tenderness and crispiness, which simply made everyone's appetite high. The best roasted whole sheep will be a 2-month-old lamb from Yanchitan sheep. First marinate with seasonings to taste, and then turn and bake for one hour over slow heat, at high temperatures, the fat overflows, and the surface is roasted with a golden brown burnt aroma, use a knife to cut the meat, apply the seasoning again, and continue to roast until the taste and meat aroma reach the peak.
Arrogant roasted whole lamb.
Another delicacy that is a bit unimaginable is steamed whole lamb, thanks to the proper size and tender meat of the Tan lamb. Now in many restaurants in Ningxia, it is still popular to eat one lamb and two meals, half roasted and half steamed. Here, after eating the mutton, there is a bowl of piping hot and delicious mutton soup, which warms people from head to toe.
Spicy, steamed, braised ...... How can you miss it in winter!
In the harsh winter, I urgently need steaming mutton, and I feel warm all over my body after eating it, so that my stomach and taste buds are greatly satisfied. Ningxia people are good at raising sheep, and also love to eat sheep, stir-fried, steamed, stewed, roasted, mutton, is the local unique cold secrets.
The "spicy fried lamb" in Huangquqiao, Pingluo, Ningxia is not as famous as hand-caught mutton or roasted whole sheep, but it is the favorite of local gourmets. "Pingluo Food Journal" records the popularity of Huangquqiao lamb, "there are many night snacks in the ancient city, stir-fried lamb is popular, crispy, tender and spicy can be tasted, and the pot is called in the alley late at night."
Stir-fried lamb with a hot and fragrant flavor.
This dish uses 7.5 to 10 kilograms of Tan lamb, which contains trace fat in the skin, abdomen and muscles, and is tender and fragrant, with a delicate and rich taste. The main point of this dish is the production of multiple compound processes such as stirring, stewing, and stewing. It is best to choose an earthen oven, heat the pot with sesame oil, fry the lamb meat in the pot and squeeze the water, under the ferocious fire, the lamb meat is quickly tightened, and the excess fat melts and loses with high temperature, and then adds ginger and garlic hot sauce and dark soy sauce to adjust the color, pour into the mutton soup and simmer, and finally add the compound seasoning with local characteristics.
After coming out of the pot, the stir-fried lamb meat in Huangquqiao is full of juice, the meat is fragrant, soft and tender, and the meat juice is wrapped in rich layers of meat aroma. Coupled with Pingluo special snacks such as sugar hemp, old tofu, and flat dan jelly, a table full of meat and vegetables is really addictive.
Stir-fried lamb.
Another well-known lamb dish is steamed lamb, which is commonly found in the Tongxin and Haiyuan areas of Ningxia, and is an important dish at the banquet. The lamb that is two or three months old and has not yet been weaned is selected, and it is best to use the chest fork, upper backbone and other parts to make the taste more rich. Chop the mutton with bones into small pieces and put it in a bowl, put ginger, green onions, peppercorns, star anise and other compound seasonings, and steam for 30 minutes. Once out of the pan, add a pinch of emerald green coriander. After being served, the mutton is dipped in a layer of goose-yellow grease, fragrant and slightly numb, soft and rotten in taste, with a slightly sweet milky aroma, and a rich seasoning aroma, which is combined with the thick taste of mutton into a symphony.
Steamed lamb in a bowl with a rich flavor.
Ningxia's braised mutton is known for its thick flavor, and many places will make it together with hand-grabbed mutton. Mutton is cut into pieces, boiled in water first, and the hand-grabbed mutton is served on the table first, and the cravings are satisfied. The rest of the meat is used to make braised mutton. It is best to make lamb chops, leg of lamb and other parts, even the meat with bones, stir-fry in the pot and the ingredients, then add the mutton soup to boil, and finally the potatoes in the pot and simmer for more than ten minutes. This pot of yellow braised mutton is spicy and soft, fat but not greasy, and the soup can be used to soak rice and noodles, which is very satisfying.
Another flavor of braised mutton.
The barbecue, which accompanies the Maillard reaction, has an irresistible attraction for almost everyone. Barbecue is common, but in Ningxia, it's an upgraded version of deliciousness. The smell of Ningxia barbecue is the lamb skewer made of Tan lamb, the flame is blazing, the sound of oil is sizzling, only sprinkle with salt, you can eat the fragrant mutton skewer, you can also sprinkle pepper and cumin, bite into the crispy skin of the lamb, let the rich fat fill the mouth.
Red willow lamb skewers.
Roasted lamb's trotters are also not to be missed. The sheep's trotters are marinated first, and then roasted on the charcoal fire, the skin, tendons, and meat are slowly eaten in one bite, and the marinade seeps out along the gaps of the hooves, and can no longer be satisfied. In addition to peanuts, edamame, cucumbers, preserved eggs and tofu and other national cold dishes, it is best to add a local specialty of boiled shallots, which is very enjoyable after eating.
Roasted lamb's trotters, a delicacy not to be missed.
The collision of mutton and staple food, who can refuse carbs happiness?
One of the important features of Ningxia cuisine is that the collision of mutton and staple food has created a kaleidoscopic combination, due to the history of Ningxia's multi-ethnic settlement and interaction, whether it is traditional noodles, rice, or hot noodles and fragrant Hui food, are combined with mutton ironing.
Winter is coming, people's thirst for heat has reached its peak, and who can escape the double happiness of heat and carbs?
For breakfast, mutton steamed buns are the choice of many Ningxia people. Mutton steamed bun is also known as "mutton bubble", the traditional mutton soup of steamed bun is boiled freshly, the mutton bone is crushed, and then the mutton is added to boil, boiled from morning to night, boiled until the meat is soft and rotten into the flavor, and the house is full of meat fragrance. Then add the sliced meat, vermicelli and white radish, the lamb and vermicelli fully absorb the umami of the mutton soup, and the coriander and chopped green onion add the fragrance. It is best to make steamed buns hollow, crispy on the outside, layered on the inside, thick on the edges, shaped like a pot lid, absorbing juice but not leaking soup, many shops will provide homemade sugar and garlic, and mutton and steamed buns are chewed carefully, the taste is very rich.
Thick northwestern-style mutton steamed buns.
For lunch, come to a bowl of mutton noodles, which is a famous noodle staple in Ningxia. Stir-fried mutton is the soul of this bowl of noodles, generally with lamb leg meat, the meat is strong and thin, is finely chopped evenly, when stir-frying, put a little mutton fat, so that the meat taste more tender. The soup contains lamb, chili oil, seasonal vegetables, potatoes, tofu and other ingredients. The red soup is bright in color, heavy but not greasy. The spicy soup is on the table, at a glance, it will make people's appetite increase, immediately scoop the noodles, and then take a bite of the spicy soup, the meat is tender and spicy, and the soup is fragrant and beautiful.
A hearty bowl of lamb noodles.
As soon as the mutton pilaf appeared, it hit people's taste buds. To make pilaf, it is best to use fat and thin lamb chops, blanch and pour them into the pot to fry the water, pour in carrots and onions after precipitating the mutton fat, and pour in rice and boiling water to simmer after the ingredients are soft. The rice is soft and plump, each grain is coated in mutton fat, and contains the aroma of mutton and the sweetness of vegetables. Lamb chops cannot be ignored, the more you eat, the more fragrant they are, and the more you chew, the more energetic they are.
Tan lamb leg hand pilaf, so fragrant!
There is a delicacy of rice and meat, and there is also a meat sticky rice from Wuzhong. The meat sticky rice method is special, and it is difficult to taste it in other places. Mutton, onions, and carrots are stir-fried and steamed with rice, making it a semi-solid sticky rice that is half-baked between porridge and rice. Rice, meat, and vegetables are fused together, which can be accompanied by a serving of sauerkraut, a spoonful of mouth, the rice particles are full and round, adsorbed with soup and stained with minced meat, and the entrance is soft and glutinous and fragrant.
Wu Zhong's special meat sticky rice.
Naan lamb chops are another collision of mutton and naan, which is cooked by four processes: boiling, stir-frying, stewing, and roasting.
Cut the lamb chops into strips and stew them, remove them, boil the green onions in a boiling pot, stir-fry the fragrant and then pour the lamb chops into the stir-fry to taste. Wrap the lamb steak onto the dough, wrap it in a flatbread shape, brush with egg wash and bake in the oven until the dough is golden brown. Sprinkle with sesame seeds after baking. When eating, first cut the fragrant naan, sandwich a piece of lamb chops, bite crispy and fragrant, rich in oil aroma and do not feel greasy; eat a piece of fragrant naan, the surface is browned, the inside is soft and glutinous. The combination of naan and mutton, who can refuse?
Naan lamb chops, a proper dish.
How many kinds of mutton snacks can there be?
There is a wide variety of mutton snacks in Ningxia, which adds a unique flavor to this land.
In Ningxia, it can be said that the whole body of the sheep can be eaten, and all of them are delicious, especially the most representative snack haggis. It's not complicated to make, but it requires extra patience and skill. Haggis is rich in ingredients, including noodles and lungs, lamb liver, lamb tripe, sheep intestines, and sheep head, which are washed and chopped and boiled in a pot until milky white. After cooking, put the haggis and lamb soup into a bowl, sprinkle with green onion and coriander, scoop a spoonful of lamb fat and spicy seeds, stir them well and incorporate them into the soup. A large bowl of haggis can confuse people's fragrance, while the heat is still there, drink a big mouthful of soup first, and the forehead is slightly sweaty, which is indescribably comfortable.
Rich haggis soup.
Powdered dumplings, also known as pimp pulled stones, are a traditional delicacy made all over Ningxia. The word "powder/pimp" refers to jelly, and "stone" refers to dumplings. After the mutton dumplings are cooked and served, after the green onions, ginger and garlic are boiled in the pot, then the mutton soup, cold powder, fungus, yellow flowers, tomatoes, fried potato chips, spinach, coriander, etc. are put in turn. After the pot is boiling, pour the soup and ingredients into the dumplings that have been cooked in advance. The noodle soup is delicious, salty and delicious, and the ingredients in one pot are even more varied.
Dumplings in noodle soup full of ingredients.
There is a traditional snack in the Zhongwei area of Ningxia, Zhongwei vegetarian chowder, also known as stewed snacks. The main ingredients are splint (sand) and balls, also known as stewed splint balls. The splint is a diamond-shaped block made of minced meat, eggs and starch, and fried in oil until golden brown and crispy. In the fragrant mutton soup, put in mutton balls, splints, vermicelli, cold powder, etc. to boil, and then thicken with starch. A bowl of stewed snacks is solid and comfortable to eat.
Rich and delicious stewed snacks.
In the area of Yanchi in Ningxia, there is also a rare "meat and cold skin" in the national cool skin industry - sheep liver cold skin. Listen to some dark dishes, indeed a local taste, the lamb liver is cooked and then fried, crispy and fragrant lamb liver cut finely, and then mixed with the cold skin, the thin and wide cool skin is covered with a layer of black and brown lamb liver crushed, one side with a burst of aroma, one side with a plain cold and clear, the lamb liver mixed with the aroma of garlic juice and base materials, through the crystal cold skin to the nose, chopsticks pick, let the taste buds fall instantly.
A bowl of lamb liver with a lot of ingredients.
Ningxia is the smallest provincial-level ethnic autonomous region in mainland China, and it is also home to more than 20 ethnic groups. The diverse culture has brought an open and tolerant eating attitude to the people of Ningxia, and has formed a rich and colorful way of cooking mutton. Ningxia people's love for sheep does not only stay at the dining table, which is also an important part of the local people's livelihood economy.
From grand feasts to home-cooked side dishes to flavorful snacks, the sheep has written the recipes of Ningxia, which are mixed with the customs of Ningxia to outline a unique style.
Hand grasping mutton, Ningxia table deserves the "C position".