Xihu Mutton Hot Pot 溪湖羊肉炉

Xihu Mutton Hot Pot (溪湖羊肉炉) is a speciality of Xihu (溪湖) in Changhua County (彰化县). Its characteristic preparation uses boneless meat cut into thin slices, cooked with bones, Chinese herbs and whole pieces of mature ginger.

How it is made

The named aromatics are chuanxiong (川芎), danggui (当归) and goji berries. Chinese Wikipedia describes the Xihu broth as usually clear-simmered. Its description of Gangshan (冈山) offers a contrast: meat cooked with its skin on, a generally red-braised broth and a dipping sauce based on local fermented bean paste.

Where it comes from

Xihu and Gangshan both had travelling vendors selling mutton dishes during Japanese rule. Their offerings included soup, thickened soup, noodles and stir-fried meat; the hot-pot format became popular in the two places from the 1970s onward.