Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef

Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef

　　In the first year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1346 AD), Hui people from our county migrated southward from Chunsu Hutong in Beijing and settled here. As it has been a custom among the Hui people to engage in trade, for hundreds of years, they have been involved in cattle and sheep slaughtering according to Islamic slaughtering methods under the supervision of imams. Our county has a long history of cattle farming and is a provincial breeding base for Luxi Yellow Cattle, with a large and diverse herd population. In particular, Luxi Yellow Cattle are robust and well-fed, with tender meat, providing ideal raw material for the Hui community to produce halal beef. Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef is a famous local delicacy made from Luxi Yellow Cattle.

　　Zhanjia Halal Beef was first created by the ancestors of Zhan Yanlong, a Hui person from Southeast Village, Dayang Township, in our county, and has a history of over 300 years. Around the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it remained a small-scale business, sold by carrying shoulder poles to markets, where about two baskets (approximately 30–40 kilograms) could be sold per market day. The beef was wrapped in lotus leaves and mainly purchased by small vendors at markets as a snack. During the Cultural Revolution, due to the suppression of “capitalist tails,” Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef faded into obscurity. After the reform and opening-up, descendants of the Zhan family resumed the trade, bringing this local delicacy back to prominence. After years of operation, the Zhan family now runs the “Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef Processing Factory,” has registered the “Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef” trademark, expanded production scale, and in addition to retail sales, also offers vacuum-packed products for easier distribution to other regions. With its bright red color, tender texture, and deliciously rich flavor, it has won the favor of consumers—not only as a fine dish for banquets but also as a premium gift for visiting relatives and friends. It is currently popular in cities within the province such as Jinan and Qingdao, as well as in other provinces including Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Guangdong, with an annual total sales volume of around 80 tons.

　　Halal beef is a main dish in Halal cuisine. Halal cuisine, originally called “Hui cuisine,” saw Muslim scholars such as Wang Daiyu and Ma Zhu translate and write about Islamic doctrines during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, proposing: “The faith is pure and clean by nature, and true and upright by essence; purity means free from filth and contamination, and truth means unbiased and impartial.” “God is uniquely supreme, hence called Halal (pure and true).” Since then, the term “Halal” has been widely used in society, “Halal religion” became the official Chinese translation for Islam, and Halal cuisine replaced the old name of Hui cuisine. At the same time, food products and restaurants bearing the word “Halal” emerged, and Halal cuisine became popular among the mixed Hui and Han communities.

　　The characteristics of Halal cuisine are as follows: First, it has very strict dietary restrictions, especially adhering to the religious rule of “eating clean, not unclean,” as people eat not only for physical health but also for spiritual well-being, thus advocating the consumption of wholesome and lawful food. This is elaborated in the Quran. Second, it emphasizes careful selection of ingredients and refined cooking techniques. Ingredients mainly come from cattle and sheep; cooking methods primarily include blanching, roasting, and hot pot, retaining the dietary customs of nomadic peoples. Third, the flavor tends to be salty and savory, with rich sauces, tender yet not greasy, and fresh yet not gamey.

　　Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef possesses all the above characteristics.

　　The production method of Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef is as follows:

　　1. Cut freshly slaughtered tender beef into 15 large pieces using seven cuts on the front and eight on the back, then rinse with water.

　　2. Place them in a specially designed simple large pot, add well water containing alkali and saltpeter, and boil without adding any seasonings. The requirement is that “the water should cover the meat, and small bubbles should rise from the center of the boiling soup.” Moreover, do not cover the pot during cooking to allow the evaporation of unwanted odors and moisture from the meat.

　　3. When the beef is cooked to about 70% doneness, take it out and place it in a pot of seasoned broth containing spices such as star anise, fennel, Sichuan peppercorn, cloves, white pepper, sandalwood, cassia bark, and tangerine peel. Simmer over low heat until fully cooked, then turn off the heat.

　　4. Once the broth has cooled, remove the beef. It will have a bright color and strong aroma, and can be sliced, cut into strips, or served in pieces.

　　Additionally, the production of Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef involves strict selection of materials, generally using only bulls aged 1–2 years, as beef from this age group is tender and fragrant. Every kilogram of raw beef yields approximately 0.6 kilograms of cooked beef.

　　Beef is highly nutritious, rich in protein and low in fat. One hundred grams of beef contains 20% protein, 10% fat, 72,000 joules of calories, 170 milligrams of phosphorus, 3.78 milligrams of potassium, as well as nutrients such as vitamins B1 and B2.

　　Traditional Chinese medicine believes that beef has the effects of nourishing the spleen and stomach, replenishing qi and blood, and strengthening muscles and bones. It is beneficial for conditions such as deficiency, diabetes, weak spleen, indigestion, abdominal mass, edema, and soreness in the lower back and knees.

　　Our county has a large and widespread Hui population, residing in towns such as Zhoucheng and Dongping, where Halal beef is also available for sale.