Vinegar-Braised Mutton

Name: Vinegar-Braised Mutton
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 3 h
Ingredients: 1 Whole scalded mutton (slaughtered, scalded and dehaired); 1 kg Soy sauce; 250 g Baijiu; 7.5 kg Wheat bran vinegar; 250 g Ginger (pounded); 2.5 kg Molasses candy (crushed into small pieces); 250 g Salt; 0.5 kg Dried chili peppers (cut open, deseeded and destemmed, boiled until soft, then minced into fine paste); 50 g Black pepper powder; 2.5 kg Rendered mutton fat; 250 g Rock sugar; 50 g Sichuan pepper powder; 20 g Scallions; 15 g Dried tangerine peel; 3 White radish; 200 g Coriander

A traditional Zunyi-style dish made with blanched whole lamb, malt-bran vinegar, and a 'yellow sauce' prepared from large dried chili peppers.

3 hours

Easy

0 favorites

Ingredients

Whole scalded mutton (slaughtered, scalded and dehaired) 1

Soy sauce 1 kg

Baijiu 250 g

Wheat bran vinegar 7.5 kg

Ginger (pounded) 250 g

Molasses candy (crushed into small pieces) 2.5 kg

Salt 250 g

Dried chili peppers (cut open, deseeded and destemmed, boiled until soft, then minced into fine paste) 0.5 kg

Black pepper powder 50 g

Rendered mutton fat 2.5 kg

Rock sugar 250 g

Sichuan pepper powder 50 g

Scallions 20 g

Dried tangerine peel 15 g

White radish 3

Coriander 200 g

Instructions

Prepare the mutton

Open the slaughtered, scalded and dehaired sheep carcass and remove the internal organs. Scorch the skin with a hot iron, then scrape it clean. Remove the hooves and horns, and cut the meat into large chunks. Split the sheep's head into two halves. Discard the pancreas from the offal. Turn the intestines inside out, wash them clean, remove the unwanted parts, and set them aside for later use.

Boil the meat and slice it

Place the mutton and offal in a pot, add 20 kg of water to fully submerge the mutton. Add the dried tangerine peel and white radish. Bring to a boil, then add cold water twice, skimming off any foam. Continue cooking until the meat shrinks and hardens, and the bones can be easily removed. Remove the meat and offal together, but return the bones to the broth to continue simmering. Once the mutton has cooled slightly, cut it into slices 1.6 cm long, 1.2 cm wide and 0.2 cm thick. Slit the intestines and cut them into chess-piece-sized chunks. Slice the kidneys, liver, tripe and lungs to match the size of the mutton slices.

Make the yellow paste and cook the dish

Cut the large dried chili peppers open, remove the seeds and stems, then rinse them thoroughly with clean water. Boil until soft, then remove and drain, mincing into a fine paste. Crush the molasses candy into small pieces. Heat the rendered mutton fat in a pot to 70% heat, add the crushed molasses candy, and stir constantly with a spatula. Once the candy melts, small bubbles the size of table tennis balls will form. When the bubbles grow to the size of a finger, pour in the chili paste, continuing to stir without stopping. When the mixture turns chestnut brown, the 'yellow paste' is ready. Immediately add the sliced mutton and offal, stir-fry to coat evenly, then add several large bowls of mutton (bone) broth. Next add the black pepper powder, pounded ginger, soy sauce, baijiu, and portions of salt and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook for more than 10 minutes to let the seasonings fully infuse the meat. Then pour in all the remaining sheep bone broth, add the rock sugar, salt and vinegar. Once the soup boils, taste and adjust the salt, sugar and vinegar until the flavors of salty, sweet and sour are well balanced. When the mutton is tender and cooked through, sprinkle with Sichuan pepper powder and chopped scallions, give it a quick stir, then transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with a side plate of coriander.