Hand-Held Boiled Mutton 手扒羊肉

Hand-Held Boiled Mutton (手扒羊肉) is lamb boiled in large pieces and eaten with the fingers, one of the Mongolian dishes served in the city of Wuhai (乌海), Inner Mongolia. The Wuhai culture, sports, tourism and broadcasting bureau presents it as a large platter of simply boiled lamb whose flavour comes entirely from the freshness of the meat.

How it is made

Ashida (阿希达), who runs a Mongolian restaurant in Haibowan District (海勃湾区) of Wuhai, told Wuhai Daily that one big pot of plain water, a handful of ginger and scallion and a handful of coarse salt are enough to make authentic hand-held lamb. In his words, boiling fresh lamb this way is the greatest respect the grassland people can pay to the meat. Chinese Wikipedia describes the usual cuts as fatty pieces on the bone, such as leg or ribs, cooked only until just done and then cut into smaller pieces.

Flavour and texture

The Wuhai bureau describes the large chunks as fresh-tasting and juicy. With so little seasoning in the pot, the flavour is that of the lamb itself; the traditional accompaniments are garlic paste with vinegar, or pepper salt.

How it is eaten

In Wuhai the dish is presented as part of the Mongolian meal: the city's culture and tourism bureau places it alongside salty milk tea, which is called 'sutai tsai' (苏台茄) in Mongolian, and dairy foods such as dried milk skin and cheese.