Shan County Mutton Soup (单县羊肉汤 (Shàn xiàn yáng ròu tāng))

Overview

Shan County mutton soup is a famous mutton soup from Shan County in Shandong province. Mutton and goat bones from the local Qingshan goat are soaked, blanched and boiled hard for many hours with ginger, spring onion and a few spices, which turns the broth as white as milk, with the fat fully blended into it. The soup is known for being fresh and rich without being greasy or tasting too strongly of mutton. To serve, thin slices of the cooked meat are put in a bowl and the boiling broth is ladled over them, then each person adds salt, chopped coriander, spring onion, pepper and chilli oil to taste. It is eaten with flatbread.

History

Shan County mutton soup is said to have been first sold in 1807, when three partners opened a soup house called Sanyihe in the county town. Its traditional technique is listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Shandong province, and the soup is a protected geographical product. Locals often call it the first soup of China, and Shan County soup restaurants are now found in cities across the country.

Main ingredients

Mutton, goat bones, ginger, spring onion, coriander, chilli oil. The soup is built on milky white mutton broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.

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Recipe

4Serves

6h 20m20 prep · 360 cook

~450kcal / serving

MediumDifficulty

Method

1. 1
   2 h

   Soak the bones and meat in cold water for 2 hours, then blanch and rinse.

2. 2

   Put them in a large pot with 5 l water, ginger, spring onions and spices and boil hard.

3. 3
   6 h

   Keep at a rolling boil for 4 to 6 hours, topping up with boiling water, until the broth is milky.

4. 4

   Take out the meat and slice it thinly.

5. 5

   Put the meat in bowls, pour over the boiling broth and season at the table.

6. ✓

   Serve. About 6h 20m from start to bowl.

Sources

• shandong-chorography.org
• micselect.com
• Shandong cuisine (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.