Ningxia Hand-Grabbed Lamb (宁夏手抓羊肉)

中文简介

宁夏手抓羊肉是西北羊肉的饕餮之最，而它的底气来自宁夏独有的滩羊。滩羊生长于宁夏盐池一带的干旱草原，吃碱草、饮苦泉水，肉质举世闻名：瘦肉粉红、肥肉雪白、纹理分明，入口细嫩无膻、回甘带香，被中国食客誉为"羊肉界的劳斯莱斯"。做法保持西北传统——清水加葱姜微火煮制，吃时手抓、蘸盐。盐池滩羊产量有限，正宗的宁夏手抓羊肉是许多美食家专程飞到银川的理由。配八宝茶、凉皮或烩羊杂，是银川人待客的体面。

English

Ningxia hand-grabbed lamb (手抓羊肉, shǒuzhuā yángròu) sits at the pinnacle of Chinese lamb cookery — and the entire dish rests on one magnificent animal: the Tan sheep (滩羊) of Yanchi, Ningxia. Raised on the alkaline grasslands, drinking brackish spring water and grazing alkali-tolerant herbs, the Tan sheep yields meat that Chinese connoisseurs call "the Rolls-Royce of mutton": lean flesh a clean pink, fat white as snow, with a sweetness and total absence of gamey odor. It's cooked the oldest way in the book — boiled in water with ginger and scallion, nothing more — then grabbed by hand and dipped in coarse salt. Food writers fly to Yinchuan for this plate alone.

Where to eat: In Yinchuan, look for the old halal houses in the Muslim quarter; Yanchi county itself is the pilgrimage. ¥108–168 ($15–24) per jin.

Pro tips: The chef's cut is rib-end (肋排) — the sweetest, most marbled segment. True Yanchi Tan lamb is protected and limited; if a shop has a certificate, trust it. Pair with 八宝茶 (eight-treasure tea) to finish.