Red Braised Mutton is a traditional and flavorful dish. It features lamb as the main ingredient, cooked and seasoned to create a rich broth and tender texture. The cooking method for Red Braised Mutton is quite unique. The lamb is first cut into pieces, then stir-fried in oil until golden brown before being simmered with various spices and seasonings. During the simmering process, the mutton becomes soft and succulent, while the broth becomes thick and savory. This dish is not only delicious but also nutritious, making it especially suitable for winter consumption. It is considered one of the classics in Chinese traditional cuisine.
Ingredients for Red Braised Mutton:
| Mutton | 400g |
| White radish | 150g |
| Green onion | 10g |
| Garlic | 8g |
| Ginger | 8g |
| Garlic sprout | 10g |
| Sichuan Pepper | 5g |
| Star anise | 4g |
| Cinnamon bark | 3g |
| Fragrant leaves | 2g |
| Cooking wine | 20g |
| Salt | 3g |
| Light soy sauce | 10g |
| Dark soy sauce | 3g |
| Essence of chicken | 1g |
| Sugar | 1g |
| Chili paste | 5g |
| Pepper powder | 2g |
| Dried chilli | 5g |
Step:
1.First, let’s prepare the ingredients. Take 400 grams of washed mutton and cut it into evenly-sized small pieces. Place them in a bowl and set aside. Peel half of a white radish, cut it into four pieces, and then dice it into evenly-sized cubes. Place them in another bowl and set aside. Cut one stalk of green onion into small sections, separate a small bunch of garlic cloves, and slice a piece of ginger thinly. Place them all in the same small bowl and set aside. Cut two stalks of garlic sprouts into small sections. Prepare another small bowl and add a small handful of Sichuan Pepper, two star anise pods, a small piece of cinnamon bark, a few fragrant leaves, and a handful of dried chili. Set them aside.
2.Now that the ingredients are ready, let’s blanch the mutton. Add an appropriate amount of water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Add the mutton to the cold water in the pot. Cooking the mutton in cold water helps remove blood impurities. Add a few slices of ginger and 10 grams of cooking wine to remove any unpleasant odor. Boil the mutton over high heat to remove any blood and impurities. Once the water is boiling, skim off any foam on the surface, then remove the mutton from the pot and rinse it with clean water. Drain the mutton and set it aside.
3.Heat oil in a pan and add Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, and other spices. Stir-fry over low heat until fragrant, being careful not to burn the chili peppers. Add the drained mutton to the pan and stir-fry for about 1 minute until it turns white. Add a spoonful of chili sauce and stir-fry until well-coated. Add the chopped green onions and garlic and stir-fry briefly. Pour in an appropriate amount of water, enough to cover the mutton. Add 3 grams of salt, 2 grams of pepper powder, 10 grams of cooking wine, 10 grams of light soy sauce, and 2 grams of dark soy sauce to enhance the color. Stir the mixture with a spoon to combine the flavors. Then add the diced white radish to the pot and bring the water to a boil.
4.Once the water boils, transfer the mutton to a pressure cooker and cover it. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, release the pressure valve to ensure that all the steam has escaped before opening the lid. Transfer the mutton back to the frying pan, removing the fragrant leaves, ginger, chili peppers, and other spices. Once the broth is boiling again, add 1 gram of chicken bouillon and a small amount of sugar for flavor enhancement. If the color is not dark enough, add a few drops of dark soy sauce for further coloring. Cook over high heat for 3 minutes until the broth thickens and the mutton becomes tender and flavorful.
5.Finally, add the washed and chopped garlic sprouts to the red braised mutton. Stir-fry them evenly with a spatula, allowing the unique fragrance of the garlic sprouts to blend perfectly with the red braised mutton. The vibrant green color of the garlic sprouts adds visual appeal to the rich red sauce of the dish, enhancing both the presentation and the texture. When the garlic sprouts are cooked until slightly tender and the sauce of the red braised mutton becomes thick and luscious, turn off the heat and transfer the red braised mutton to a preheated clay pot. This dish of tender red braised mutton is now ready to be served. The lamb becomes soft and succulent after stewing, perfectly combining with the flavors of the spices to create a rich and satisfying taste. The addition of garlic sprouts not only adds color to the dish but also brings a refreshing touch to the overall flavor, making this red braised mutton even more delicious. Whether paired with rice or noodles, this red braised mutton will surely satisfy your taste buds and allow you to experience the unique charm of traditional Chinese cuisine.
Tips:
1.Select fresh and tender pieces of mutton, preferably from the shoulder or leg, which are suitable for stewing. Remove any excess fat and cut the meat into appropriate-sized chunks.
2.Before starting the stewing process, blanch the mutton by placing it in boiling water and skimming off any foam that surfaces. This helps remove blood and impurities, resulting in cleaner and more delicious meat.
Red braised mutton is a highly popular traditional dish known for its rich and flavorful broth, as well as its tender and delectable meat that is hard to resist. The key to making this dish lies in achieving the right level of tenderness through proper cooking time and heat control, allowing the mutton to cook until it reaches a melt-in-your-mouth consistency while maintaining a rich sauce and perfect balance of spices. Throughout the cooking process, the aromas of various spices gradually infuse into the mutton, creating an enticing fragrance. Red braised mutton is not only a culinary delight but also a representation and showcase of cultural heritage, enabling people to experience the charm of traditional culture while savoring delicious food.