When it comes to dishes on the New Year's table, there must be one dish of mutton. Zhuangxing mutton is a local specialty food in Fengxian, this traditional dish during the Chinese New Year, has a history of more than 600 years.
Li Jinlong, a representative inheritor of Shanghai's intangible cultural heritage "mutton shochu food customs", said that in the past, every household would raise a white goat at the beginning of the year, and when it came to the Spring Festival, the sheep would be slaughtered for the festival. During the Chinese New Year, being able to eat a bite of mutton can not only strengthen the body, but also make a good fortune for the new year.
Choosing high-quality ingredients is the key to making an authentic Zhuanghang lamb delicious. In Fengxian, the locals generally buy white goats about one year old in the Yangtze River Delta region as ingredients, and the sheep of this age have relatively tender meat and the best taste. After a sheep is washed and scraped, cut it into 25 knives and divide it into 25 pieces. Each piece needs to be soaked in cold water and the blood streaks dissipate before being put into the pot.
To make Zhuangxing mutton, the general cooking method is "mutton with cold water, and then add a fire". During this period, there is no need to add any seasonings such as green onions, ginger and radish. Whether the mutton is crispy or not, the key depends on whether the heat is enough. Li Jinlong said that at first, it should be burned on a high fire for half an hour to remove the smell of sheep through this steam; During this period, white foam will be produced every time it boils, which should be removed in time to ensure that the mutton soup is clear; After half an hour, the heat needs to be reduced to simmer, and the simmer will be crispy. After more than an hour, you can stop the fire and start the pot.
Zhuangxing mutton has a history of more than 600 years. Now, according to everyone's taste, the cooking method of this dish is constantly changing, from "rotten mutton" to "hot mutton". Hot mutton, pay attention to quick burning, quick cutting, and fast eating. This dish is crispy but not greasy, the taste is good, and the fragrance is enough, which is a very popular cooking method for the New Year in the countryside now. The other parts of the sheep can be made into white-cut lamb tripe, white-cut lamb liver, white-cut lamb loin, white-cut lamb lung, white-cut sheep's feet and sheep's head soup.
In fact, in the past, every New Year, every family would kill the sheep that had been raised at home for more than a year on Chinese New Year's Eve, so like he has been looking forward to the New Year since he was a child, "In our countryside, this custom is more popular." Li Jinlong said, "When the sheep is eaten, it means that everyone is happy and happy in the new year." ”
During the Spring Festival, the sheep feast, it is really a happy thing to be able to taste such a dish with family and friends during the New Year!