Ren Shou Whole Lamb Feast

Ren Shou Whole Lamb Feast

　　The Ren Shou Whole Lamb Feast is divided into five major categories: soup dishes, cold dishes, steamed dishes, stir-fried dishes, and braised dishes, comprising hundreds of dishes.

　　The soup category is the most distinctive dish in Ren Shou, differing from those made in Jianyang, Chengdu, Huayang, and Weiyuan. It is particularly renowned for the family-secret recipe passed down through generations of the Liao family from Aoling. The preparation methods of Ren Shou lamb soup are all developed and inherited on this foundation, forming certain regional characteristics. The making of the soup emphasizes technique and repeated simmering, resulting in a rich, thick, and robust flavor. The texture is smooth and tender, and it is typically served with condiments such as mountain pepper and green pepper dips, or alternatively with an oil dip. Main soup varieties include lamb soup, lamb offal soup, lamb trotter soup, lamb brain soup, and lamb lung soup. During cold weather, drinking lamb soup can help ward off the chill, beautify and whiten the skin, nourish the kidneys, and enhance vitality.

　　Cold dishes are known for their fragrant, numbing, and spicy flavors. For example, cold Stir-fried Tripe Slices are characterized by their white, cloud-like appearance, resembling piles of snow. They are topped with wild mountain pepper and green peppers, then soaked in chili oil. They are crisp upon biting, with a fresh and spicy flavor. Skewered Lamb, sharing some similarities with street-style lamb skewers, is actually more tender and delicious, making it a signature and distinctive dish in the Ren Shou Whole Lamb Feast. The lamb is first skewered with toothpicks, then pan-fried in lamb fat along with minced ginger, pepper, mountain pepper, monosodium glutamate, and other seasonings. After being stir-fried over high heat for two minutes, the dish is complete. Once served, the toothpick lamb emits a rich aroma, stimulating the appetite and refreshing the palate.

　　Steamed dishes mainly use the powder-steaming method, excelling in Clear Steamed Lamb and Steamed Trotters. The meat is tender and falling-off-the-bone without losing its shape, offering a rich taste that is not greasy, soft and juicy, with a clean and bright white color and a unique fragrance. Eating these dishes can nourish yin and moisten dryness, replenish blood, improve complexion, and strengthen the body, leaving women’s faces rosy and charming.

　　Stir-fried dishes mainly include Spicy Stir-Fried Lamb Liver, Minced Lamb Flowers, and Dry-Fried Lamb, among others. Stir-fried dishes emphasize the cooking process, requiring coordination between hand movements and visual focus, short cooking times, and precise measurement of seasonings down to the milligram. These dishes offer the “gentlest” flavors in the Whole Lamb Feast, focusing on the careful selection of ingredients such as shredded chili, scallion segments, and tender ginger. The flavors are well-balanced, the aromas enticing, and the colors vividly distinct, with great emphasis also placed on plating.

　　Braised dishes are known for specialties like Spicy Stir-Fried Lamb Whip, Mountain Pepper Braised Lamb Trotters, Fish-Flavored Lamb Brain, Three-Delicacy Lamb Tripe, and Peppery Lamb Lamb. These dishes are reputed to have benefits such as improving eyesight, invigorating the body, and sharpening the mind, while emphasizing the preservation of the original flavors.