Xining Hand-Pulled Lamb

Xining Hand-Pulled Lamb

　　Hand-pulled lamb is said to have a history of nearly a thousand years and was originally named for being eaten by hand. There are three ways to enjoy it: hot (sliced, steamed, and served with a dip of mixed oil), cold (sliced and dipped directly in refined salt), or pan-fried (cooked on a flat pan and eaten as it’s being fried). It is known for its delicious taste, not greasy or gamey, with appealing color and aroma.

　　Midsummer to early winter is the golden season when grass is lush and sheep are fat, making it the perfect time to enjoy the most tender and delicious hand-pulled lamb. During this period, if honored guests arrive, after drinking milk tea, the hospitable herders will go to the flock to select a plump, tender castrated ram. They will slaughter it on the spot, skin it, and put it in the pot. In the time it takes to exchange a few polite words over three bowls of milk tea, a large plate of steaming, layered hand-pulled lamb is served before you. The lamb is topped with several sharp Tibetan knives. The dish features bright red meat and white fat, rich but not gamey, with an inviting color. Using a knife to cut and eat it, though it may leave your mouth oily and hands greasy, offers a delightful experience — succulent yet not greasy, rich and tender, soft and smooth, with an extraordinary flavor. The way herders on the grassland cook hand-pulled lamb is unique. The cooking process is simple and straightforward, using just a small handful of salt (some don’t even add salt, serving it with salt for dipping instead), and the heat is perfectly controlled. The blood drains out quickly, the meat is cooked but not tough, resulting in a fresh, tender, and incredibly tasty bite. The hand-pulled lamb of the grasslands represents the bold, unrestrained, warm, devout, and hospitable character of the herders through its color, aroma, taste, and presentation. People of all ethnicities in Qinghai — whether Hui, Han, Mongolian, or Salar — serve hand-pulled lamb as a top-tier dish for honored guests. In recent years, with the rapid development of tourism, hotels across Qinghai have listed hand-pulled lamb as one of the region’s signature delicacies.

　　Source: People’s Government of Xining City