Grilled Lamb on Stone from Ningxia

Grilled Lamb on Stone from Ningxia

　　 Main ingredients: Lamb (fat and lean) (3000g)

　　 Seasonings: Cloves (4g), Flaxseed oil (200g), Cinnamon (3g), Prickly ash powder (8g), Cooking wine (25g), Pepper (3g), Salt (12g)

　　 Preparation:

　　 1. Take a Qilian Mountain stone slab about 2 cm thick, flatten it, heat it with charcoal or firewood, and rub with oil;

　　 2. Clean the boneless lamb, slice it thinly, place the slices on the heated stone slab, and cover with an earthenware basin;

　　 3. Grind all the seasonings into fine powder, mix with salt and cooking wine until well blended;

　　 4. Every 7–10 minutes during grilling, remove the basin, sprinkle the seasonings onto the meat. When the lamb is golden brown and cooked through, serve hot on a plate.

　　 In the history of Chinese cuisine, the earliest method of cooking with fire was “stone cooking.” The era of “stone cooking” predates the invention of pottery, belonging to the Stone Age. At that time, people made simple tools and utensils from stone, including the primitive cooking technique known as “roasting grains on stones,” which involved heating stones with fire to cook food. The ancient text Gu Shi Kao states: “In the time of Shennong, the people ate grains—they washed the rice and placed it on heated stones to eat.” Historical records indicate there were two types of stone cooking: one involves placing heated stones into a container of water to boil the water and cook the food, while the other is to directly heat the food by placing it on hot stones. “Western Xia Stone-Grilled Lamb” uses the second method. This style of cooking, where heat is transferred through the stone, offers even heat distribution and a unique flavor. A five-thousand-year-old cooking tradition lives on, and visitors to Northwest China all flock to try it.