I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 873 - 374: Northwest Hardcore Dish with Minimal Culinary Requirements—Hand-Grasped Mutton!
With so many head chefs gathered together, even if they only had a bunch of broom grass, they could create something beautiful, not to mention having two whole cows.
Lin Xu was filled with anticipation for the afternoon meal.
No wonder his senior brother hinted on the phone last night about coming to the Fishing Platform today.
Turns out he had gotten the news in advance.
And the one who betrayed Chef Yin wasn’t anyone else; it was old Huang, who would idle around drinking and chatting with Cui Qingyuan all day. Only he knew the delivery time of the two cows.
At the entrance of the kitchen, even before going in, Lin Xu smelled the aroma of beef and lamb.
He followed Yin Hongbin inside and saw two large pots in the middle of the kitchen, both constantly simmering. From one pot wafted the scent of beef, while the other should be lamb.
"Junior, these two pots are the pride of Building Twelve. The best lamb and beef soups in the entire Fishing Platform are here. Old Yin’s skills in cooking beef and lamb are well recognized. His braised beef even impressed foreign leaders; the King of Saudi Arabia wanted to recruit him last time."
"I must really savor Chef Yin’s skills today."
Yin Hongbin waved it off with a smile:
"Just some petty skills, not worth mentioning... Old Xie, with all this praise, what are you up to? Just say it straight in front of your junior, no need for roundabout talk."
This rascal today is overly sweet, obviously up to something.
As expected, just as he finished speaking, Xie Baomin said:
"Last time, old Dai mentioned that your hand-caught lamb was great... It’s almost noon, you should make some for us brothers to try!"
Hand-caught lamb?
That’s quite a challenging dish!
Lin Xu’s eyes lit up; he had indeed come to the right place.
But it’s almost eleven now, is there time to make hand-caught lamb?
He curiously asked:
"Doesn’t hand-caught lamb take several hours? Starting now, can it be ready by mealtime?"
Planning to have beef in the afternoon, Yin Hongbin thought to have a simple lunch. But after hearing Lin Xu’s question, the head chef perked up immediately:
"Master Lin seems to have some misconceptions about Northwest cuisine. A few hours, that’s for simmering lamb soup, making hand-caught lamb takes just twenty minutes... Come, come, I’ll show you."
Twenty minutes?
Will the lamb be cooked?
Xie Baomin, knowledgeable in the field, gave Lin Xu a knowing look and said:
"Just wait for the good stuff, junior. Old Yin is going to make hand-caught baby lamb, a treat the kitchen usually can’t bear to eat."
Lin Xu was a bit curious:
"How is baby lamb different from regular lamb?"
"Junior, you lack quite a bit of knowledge about sheep. Since there’s time now, I’ll explain the ways to eat lamb properly."
In Chinese cuisine, sheep at different stages are cooked differently.
For example, four- or five-month-old baby lambs have tender meat, like cake, and are best steamed. The steamed lamb dish on the menu refers to sheep at this stage.
At six to eight months, they become young lambs, transitioning from juvenile to adult. Their muscles start forming, and the fat-to-lean ratio is better than baby lambs, though the muscle fibers haven’t fully grown yet, making them ideal for boiling.
Boiled in clear water without any seasoning, the resulting lamb is flavorful and aromatic, without any gaminess.
After a year, the lamb is mature. By this time, the muscle fibers become well-formed, elastic and juicy, perfect for making roast whole lamb.
Lamb in this stage, when roasted, is tender and chewy, rich in both flavor and aroma.
If it’s older, the muscle fibers are fully developed, suited for quick frying, braising, stewing, or hot pot.
As for old lamb, it’s tougher in texture, best suited for hot pot or soup, as the broth extracted from old lamb is rich and flavorful, not losing taste even after long simmering.
Of course, these are just general methods. The different cuts of lamb, like the large t-bone, small t-bone, loin, foreleg, hind leg, or rump, have specific cooking methods for each stage.
There’s a lot of knowledge in it, more than can be explained in just a few words.
At the sink, some whole sides of lamb were soaking in fresh water.
Yin Hongbin rolled up his sleeves and fished out two slightly smaller lamb ribs:
"These were delivered by old Huang this morning, soaked for about an hour. All the blood has leached out... Master Lin, when making lamb, you must not skip the soaking step, as it removes the blood and makes the meat easier to debone."
After pulling out the lamb ribs, Xie Baomin gave them a glance:
"These look great, aren’t they real beach lamb?"
"Yes, beach lamb. The tastiest lamb is limited, ranging from Ximeng, the Northwest Altay, to beach lamb, just those few kinds."
There are many types of lamb nationwide, but only a few can be boiled in plain water without seasonings.
Even among them, there are varying qualities, and if you’re not familiar, you can hardly purchase them, even if familiar, there’s a risk of being deceived.
Now, larger restaurants in Beijing go directly to pastures, contracting sheep from herdsmen, securing the supply years in advance.
It’s not easy for ordinary people to buy them.
If you purchase indiscriminately, you’ll likely end up with inferior sheep from elsewhere or frozen lamb.
Placing the lamb ribs on the cutting board, it’s time to cut them.
"When we use the big pot, the whole piece goes in, and we cut it after cooking, but since we’re having it on short notice today, a quick boil in the small pot will do."
Mutton for hand-caught lamb is cut methodically, splitting every two bones into two connecting rib strips, and then they are directly placed into an iron pot, with spring water added, and brought to a boil.
