Mutton / lamb (bone-in belly)

羊肉

dispels coldreplenishes qinourishes bloodsupports the kidneys溫中補虛暖胃

Bone-in lamb or mutton brisket (belly) cut into chunks, skin on in the Cantonese style. Blanched to tame its gaminess and simmered with ginger, dried tangerine peel and water chestnut, it makes the richest, most warming of the winter meat soups. The classic dong gwai-ginger-lamb soup descends from the Han-dynasty formulary.

TCM properties

Nature · warming　Flavour · sweet　Meridians · spleen、kidney

Traditional food therapy

In Cantonese food therapy lamb is used to dispel cold, warm the centre and replenish qi, blood and the kidneys — the signature warming meat of winter soups.

Cautions — read first

Avoid it if you are hot and dry, have a cold with fever, or have a sore throat
Go carefully if you have yin deficiency with flaring fire
Pregnant women should go carefully

Preparation

Cut the skin-on belly into pieces and blanch it to take out the gamey smell, then cook it with ginger, water chestnut and dried tangerine peel to keep that smell down.

Origin

全國牧區飼養，主流超市常備 — Australian lamb is the local norm; HK recipes traditionally use bone-in goat/mutton brisket, rarer in AU retail

Availability in Australia

Common at Asian grocers

Pairs well with

Chinese angelica root Fresh ginger Red jujube date Dried longan flesh Aged dried tangerine peel Water chestnut

Soups that use this ingredient · 1

Angelica, ginger and mutton soupNot yet surveyed (we say so honestly)

當歸生薑羊肉湯

nourishes blooddispels coldsupports the kidneysWinter

街市Mutton / lamb (bone-in belly)· 600 g (1 catty)百子櫃Chinese angelica root· 20 g (5 mace)街市Fresh ginger· 40 g (1 tael)百子櫃Red jujube date· 4百子櫃Dried longan flesh· 12 g (3 mace)百子櫃Aged dried tangerine peel· 1 piece… +1

“The pot she makes when someone needs looking after.”