Roast whole sheep in Inner Mongolia is a traditional Mongolian dish, which is specially made for entertaining VIPs or holding banquets at major celebrations. Roasted whole sheep originated from nomadic people in northwest China, and it is the best in Mongolian diet. Roasted whole sheep in Inner Mongolia used to be enjoyed only by Mongolian aristocrats. On festivals, birthdays and happy events, people in the upper class often roast whole sheep to entertain distinguished guests, which is a delicious food. Generally, herders can't eat roasted whole sheep at all.
Cuisine characteristics
Generally, sheep fattened on the grassland and weighing about 40 kg are slaughtered, and the whole product is baked in the abdomen with seasonings such as onion, ginger, pepper and salt. This dish has a complete sheep shape. The sheep kneels in a square wooden plate with golden red color, crispy sheepskin and tender mutton.
Inner Mongolia roast whole lamb is tender inside, crispy skin, golden color, delicious, fat but not greasy, crisp and delicious, which is very different from the local mutton that is usually eaten.
Selection of main materials
Inner Mongolia has a vast grassland, and Hulunbeier and Xilin Gol are famous all over the world. Chifeng City (formerly Zhaowuda League), Tongliao City (formerly Zhelimu League) and Xing 'an League are all producing areas rich in high-quality mutton.
It is necessary to choose 1~2-year-old fat sheep as raw material for roasting whole sheep. Roasted whole sheep is recognized as the best, with tender meat and high nutritional value. It is not suitable to use old sheep as raw material. In recent years, small-tailed Han sheep and big-tailed sheep (Wuzhumuqin big-tailed sheep and Altay big-tailed sheep) have crossed in Inner Mongolia, and the meat quality is suitable (small-tailed Han sheep has more lean meat, big-tailed mutton is fat, and fat and thin alternate after crossing), which is a good raw material for making roasted mutton.
working methods
Ingredients: sheep 1 sheep, onion 250g, ginger slices 250g, refined salt 30g, pepper 75g, soy sauce150g, anise 75g, sugar150g, fennel powder 75g and sesame oil150g.
manufacturing method
1. Slaughter the sheep, scald the whole body with boiling water at 80-90℃, wash the hair while it is hot, take out the internal organs, scrape it clean, wash it, and then cut a number of small mouths with a knife in the abdominal cavity and the inner leg of the sheep.
2. Put the onion, ginger slices, pepper, aniseed and fennel powder into the belly of the sheep, and rub them evenly with refined salt to taste. At the edge of the inner leg of the sheep, use seasoning and salt.
Taste.
3. Stick the sheep's tail into the abdomen with an iron sign, with the chest facing upwards, and hang the leather surface on the limbs with iron hooks. Brush soy sauce and sesame oil when the sugar color is slightly cold.
4. Hang the whole lamb belly in the pre-heated oven, close the oven mouth with an iron pot cover and seal it with yellow mud. Prepare an iron basin under the oven to drain the sheep oil flowing out during baking to prevent it from falling into the charcoal fire and smoking. Bake for about 3-4 hours, and take it out when the sheepskin is brown and crisp and the meat is tender and ripe.
When eating, put the whole sheep in a special wooden tray, tie red silk cloth on the horn and carry it outside the restaurant for guests to enjoy. After that, the chef will peel off the sheepskin and cut it into strips and put it on the plate, then cut the mutton into thick slices, chop the sheep bones into large pieces and put them on the plate, and serve them with Mongolian knives together with onion, garlic paste, batter and lotus leaf cake.
The way to eat
When eating roast whole lamb, slice it with a knife, and add refined salt or cumin, pepper, sweet sauce with green onions, or onions, cucumber strips, lettuce and so on. , and eat according to personal preference. If you are a guest in Inner Mongolia, the host will generally respect kumiss, and mainlanders will eat roast whole sheep and drink beer, which is very refreshing.