Beijing Lamb Hot Pot
Five cuts of Xilingol small-tailed sheep, 80–100 folded slices to 500 g; swished for seconds in boiling dried shrimp and mushroom broth until the red turns greyish white, then dipped in a nine-part sesame sauce, with pickled garlic and sesame shaobing
Preparing 3DThe ingredients and steps are below if you want to start there
Drag to rotate · Click a label for the amountDrag sideways to turn · tap a label for the amountTap a dot for the amount · drag sideways to turn
About this source
- Posted by the Xicheng District tourism account on visitbeijing.com.cn, run by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism publicity centre
- What we follow: castrated small-tailed sheep from Xilingol, only five cuts (shangnao, da sancha, xiao sancha, modang, huangguatiao); 500 g makes 80–100 slices 20 × 8 cm, about 4.5 g each, each folded; cooked in a moment in dried shrimp and mushroom broth; nine condiments, sweet pickled garlic and sesame shaobing; a tall charcoal pot. It gives no weights or times. Listed as a government publication: the site is run by the Beijing culture and tourism bureau's publicity centre and the article is by the Xicheng District tourism account
Not in the source — added by us (9)
- The only quantity in the source is 500 g of meat; servings (about 2–3), the water, dried shrimp and mushrooms, the nine condiments and the vegetables are our estimates
- The source gives no times: choosing the cuts, slicing, mixing the sauce, boiling the broth, swishing 5–15 s and cooking the vegetables are all ours; we found no data on swishing times for lamb
- The fat and placement of the five cuts follow The Beijing News: shangnao marbled; da sancha the fattiest (slices "heavy at one end", drawn with fat at one end); xiao sancha alternating fat and lean ("three red, two white", drawn as two white bands); modang pure lean and darkest; shangnao from the nape to the shoulder blade, and da sancha, huangguatiao and modang on the hind leg. The article only calls huangguatiao tender, so drawing it lean is our estimate; how much white to draw is estimated from these words; where xiao sancha sits and the borders of all five are our estimate too
- Slice thickness is not given; 4.5 g over 20 × 8 cm works out under 0.3 mm (estimate). The 3D shows 8 slices per cut, for illustration; the source says 80–100 per 500 g
- The cabbage, frozen tofu and glass noodles are our addition; the garlic and shaobing are bought ready
- The nine condiments follow the source; proportions and order are ours. The exploded view stacks them by thickness only to show what is in it; the real sauce is mixed
- A charcoal pot is for well-ventilated places only; at home use an electric hot pot or an induction hob (US CDC). Separate chopsticks and boiling broth follow the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety
- Temperatures on the steps (broth at 100 °C, a dip after the vegetables) are illustrative values for the animation; the slices are too thin for a thermometer, so the swishing step has no temperature check
- We have not read T/BJCA 005—2019 or GB/T 39918—2021; no step follows them
Other references (6)
- Heritage listing“Beef and mutton cooking techniques (Donglaishun instant-boiled mutton)” · National ICH VIII-168 · 2008Open the original · Second batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list (2008); Beijing Donglaishun Group · Background only: the listing says the craft covers cutting the meat, making the pot, the pickled garlic and the condiments, but gives no method
- Association standardT/BJCA 005—2019 “Beijing cuisine: technical specification for instant-boiled mutton” · Beijing Cuisine Association standard · 2019-12-31Open the original · Issued by the Beijing Cuisine Association; drafted by its master chefs committee and Beijing Donglaishun Group · In force since 1 Mar 2020 (posted on the national association standards platform on 7 Oct 2022). The full text needs a real-name login to the national digital standards library; we have not read it, cite it by name only and follow it in no step. Same series as the Peking duck standards T/BJCA 001 and 002—2018
- Government“Carbon Monoxide fact sheet” · US CDCOpen the original · US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Two lines only, in the warning on the broth step: never burn charcoal indoors (red, grey, black or white, it gives off CO); never use a portable gas camp stove indoors
- Government“Centre for Food Safety announces test results on hot pot food samples (with photo)” · Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety · 2023-12-04Open the original · Hong Kong SAR Government press release; Centre for Food Safety, FEHD · Only two points: separate chopsticks and utensils for raw and cooked food; after adding water or broth, wait for it to boil before cooking more. Used in the warning and checks on the swishing step. English version: P2023120400360p.htm
- National standardGB/T 39918—2021 “Fabrication of ovine carcass and cuts” · Recommended national standard · 2021-04-30Open the original · Issued by SAMR and SAC; under the national animal husbandry standards committee · In force since 1 Nov 2021 and previewable online, but we have not read it yet. It is the reference for where the five cuts sit; the 3D places shangnao and the three hind-leg cuts as The Beijing News describes, while where xiao sancha sits and the borders of all five are our estimate; da/xiao sancha and modang are restaurant names to be checked against it
- Online source“Instant-boiled mutton know-how: the five cuts of lamb for the hot pot” · The Beijing News · 2022-12-23Open the original · The Beijing News; reporters Wang Ping and Yu Guigui, editor Wang Lin · Only the two paragraphs under "Five cuts, each with its own rules": how fatty and what colour each cut is (shangnao marbled, xiao sancha "three red, two white", da sancha "heavy at one end" and high in fat, huangguatiao the "second most tender", modang pure lean and darkest), shangnao running from the nape to the shoulder blade, and da sancha, huangguatiao and modang on the hind leg. Used in the checks on step 1 and the notes on the five cuts and their slices. The article also says the upright slicing machine only cuts blocks frozen hard at −16 °C; that is the machine method, and we follow the hand-cutting in the Beijing Tourism article, with no freezing step
Ingredients
Numbers match the labels on the 3D model
500 g- 01Shangnao slices80–100 slices per 500 g in all; about 16–20 of this cut (an even split, our estimate)20 × 8 cm, folded in half; with a marble-like pattern (The Beijing News); the 3D shows 8, for illustration
- 02Da sancha slices80–100 slices per 500 g in all; about 16–20 of this cut (an even split, our estimate)20 × 8 cm, folded in half; nicknamed "heavy at one end" and high in fat (The Beijing News); drawn with the fat at one end; the 3D shows 8, for illustration
- 03Xiao sancha slices80–100 slices per 500 g in all; about 16–20 of this cut (an even split, our estimate)20 × 8 cm, folded in half; fat and lean alternating, "three red, two white" (The Beijing News); drawn as two white bands between three red; the 3D shows 8, for illustration
- 04Modang slices80–100 slices per 500 g in all; about 16–20 of this cut (an even split, our estimate)20 × 8 cm, folded in half; pure lean and the darkest (The Beijing News); the 3D shows 8, for illustration
- 05Huangguatiao slices80–100 slices per 500 g in all; about 16–20 of this cut (an even split, our estimate)20 × 8 cm, folded in half; tender, "second only to the tenderloin" (The Beijing News); drawn lean (estimate); the 3D shows 8, for illustration
- 06Brothcooking onlyWater with dried shrimp and koumo mushrooms ("dried shrimp and mushroom broth")The cooking medium, not served as soup
- 07Dipping sauceNine condiments mixed in a bowl (proportions are our estimate)Drawn in layers in the exploded view, thickest at the bottom: sesame paste, chive flower sauce, fermented bean curd, one layer for the thin shrimp sauce, soy sauce and wine, then chili oil, scallion and coriander. In the bowl it is mixed
- 08Sweet pickled garlicA saucerful (white-skinned, bought ready)
- 09Sesame shaobingA few (no number given; the 3D shows 4)
- 10Napa cabbage300 g (our addition, amount estimated)
- 11Frozen tofu200 g (our addition, amount estimated)Tofu frozen and thawed, full of holes that soak up broth
- 12Glass noodles50 g (our addition, amount estimated)
- 13Whole sheepcooking onlyOne castrated small-tailed sheep from Xilingol (for illustration)Only in step 1, where the five cuts come off it. Drawn like a butcher's chart, the coat see-through so the five cuts show (shangnao and the three hind-leg cuts placed as The Beijing News describes; where xiao sancha sits and the borders of all five are our estimate)
- 14Shangnao (upper shoulder)cooking onlyOne piece; the five together weigh 500 g (no split given)From the nape to the shoulder blade; there is fat within the muscle, so it cuts with its own marble-like pattern (The Beijing News)
- 15Da sancha (rump)cooking onlyOne piece; the five together weigh 500 g (no split given)On the hind leg, drawn at its top by the loin and tail root; high in fat, its slices are nicknamed "heavy at one end" (The Beijing News); drawn as the fattiest of the five
- 16Xiao sancha (shoulder blade)cooking onlyOne piece; the five together weigh 500 g (no split given)Fat and lean alternate, "three red, two white", a good balance of fat and muscle (The Beijing News); drawn over the shoulder blade above the foreleg, a position the article does not give (our estimate)
- 17Modang (upper hind leg)cooking onlyOne piece; the five together weigh 500 g (no split given)On the upper hind leg; pure lean, with the coarsest grain and the darkest colour (The Beijing News)
- 18Huangguatiao (hind-leg "cucumber" strip)cooking onlyOne piece; the five together weigh 500 g (no split given)On the hind leg, shaped like a cucumber; the "second most tender" cut after the tenderloin, only two to a sheep and each under 50 g (The Beijing News); the article says nothing about fat, so we draw it lean (estimate)
Cooking order
7 steps · about 33–45 min total (some estimated)
● in the source our estimate
The “look for” cues follow the cited source but haven’t been checked line by line by a cook yet; those marked ○ are our own additions.
From a castrated small-tailed sheep raised in Xilingol, take only five cuts: shangnao, da sancha, xiao sancha, modang and huangguatiao, each trimmed off in one piece
Look forShangnao cuts with a marble-like patternsource
LookXiao sancha alternates fat and lean, "three red, two white"; da sancha is fatty, its slices nicknamed "heavy at one end"source
LookHuangguatiao is shaped like a cucumber; modang is pure lean, with the coarsest grain and the darkest coloursource
LookDa sancha, huangguatiao and modang all come from the hind legsource
About 10 minutes to trim out the five pieces
Tip Where the five sit and how fatty they are follows The Beijing News: shangnao runs from the nape to the shoulder blade and is marbled; xiao sancha alternates fat and lean; da sancha is high in fat; modang is pure lean and the darkest; da sancha, huangguatiao and modang are all on the hind leg. It does not say where xiao sancha is, so we draw it over the shoulder blade (estimate); how the three hind-leg cuts divide the leg and the exact borders of all five are our estimate too
Cut the meat into thin slices 20 cm long and 8 cm wide: 80–100 slices to 500 g, about 4.5 g each. Fold each in half and lay them overlapping on the plate
Look forThin enough that on a blue-and-white plate you can see the pattern through the meatsource
LookEach slice about 20 × 8 cm, 80–100 slices to 500 gsource
LookEvery slice folded in half, the grain clearly visiblesource
About 20 minutes by hand
Loosen the sesame paste a little at a time with Shaoxing wine and soy sauce, stir in the fermented bean curd, chive flower sauce, shrimp sauce and chili oil, then scatter scallion and coriander on top
Look forThe sesame paste is loosened and runs off the spoon; everything mixed to one colourour estimate
About 5 minutes
Tip The source only lists the nine; proportions and order are ours. Some places use a sesame–peanut blend, so ask if you are allergic to peanuts. The sauce also has sesame, shrimp and soy, and soy sauce and Shaoxing wine are usually brewed with wheat
Set out the sweet pickled garlic and sesame shaobing, both bought ready
Tip How to make them is not part of this recipe
While the meat is being sliced, fill the copper pot with water, add the dried shrimp and koumo mushrooms, light the charcoal and bring to a full boil
Look forThe whole surface is rolling, not just bubbling in the middleour estimate
About 20–30 minutes, depending on the charcoal and how much water
Watch out Never burn a charcoal hot pot indoors, and never use a portable gas stove indoors either: both give off carbon monoxide (US CDC). At home, use an electric hot pot or a pot on an induction hob
Tip Both are dried; you can soak them soft in warm water first and add the water too (our addition)
With the broth at a boil, hold a slice in the broth and shake it open; as soon as the red turns greyish white and the edges start to curl, lift it out and dip it in the sauce
Look forThe red turns greyish white; lift it out once no red is leftour estimate
LookEdges just starting to curl: doneour estimate
LookOnly into boiling broth; after adding water or broth, wait for it to boil againsource
See it in 3DAbout 5–15 seconds
If you see… (4 cases)
- Still some red: Give it a few more seconds, until no red is left↻ keep going with this stepour estimate
- Just turned colour, edges just curling: Lift it out and dip it in the sauce→ step 7our estimate
- Curled tight, grey and tough: That one went too long; give the next a few seconds less↻ keep going with this stepour estimate
- Water or broth was added and it stopped boiling: Wait for it to boil again before the next slice↻ keep going with this stepsource
Watch out Use two pairs of chopsticks: one for raw meat going in, one for cooked meat coming out (Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety)
Tip One or two slices at a time, without letting go; shake the folded slice open so it cooks evenly (our addition)
Once most of the meat is eaten, add the napa cabbage, frozen tofu and glass noodles; lift them out when soft and dip them too
Look forCabbage leaves soft and glossy, tofu full of broth, noodles clearour estimate
LookA big handful of vegetables stops the boil; wait for it to come backour estimate
About 3–5 minutes
Tip The source does not list these; we added them