Taiwanese lamb is simply the best — even high-end Cantonese chefs sing its praises

Dipping the lamb in a specially made fermented tofu sauce takes the flavor to the next level. (Photo by Yao Shun)

Executive Chef Xie Wen of emphasizes that the deer antler used in must be added only after the duck broth has cooled, then steamed again to preserve its nutritional value. (Photo by Yao Shun)

The fish maw (dried fish stomach) used in is generously portioned, offering a rich and bouncy texture that’s truly satisfying. (Photo by Yao Shun)

contains no added seasonings and is steamed for a full 24 hours, resulting in a taste that’s even richer and more mellow than chicken essence. (Photo by Yao Shun)

The from ’s Xingang dim sum selection features lobster meat filling, topped with white bird’s nest and black truffle sauce for a luxurious presentation in both form and flavor. (Photo by Yao Shun)

The winter Xingang dim sum is small, delicate, and delicious, with a sweet yet not greasy creamy filling. (Photo by Yao Shun)

, made by braising snow frog with snow frog and red dates, is a high-end winter health dessert. (Photo by Yao Shun)

“I’ve tried many kinds of lamb, but Taiwanese lamb is the best!” said Chef Xie Wen of the Chinese restaurant at Mandarin Oriental Taipei, pointing to the new winter dish . Whether making the Cantonese-style or , using freshly slaughtered Taiwanese lamb “simply tastes better than other types of lamb,” he said, “and there’s no gaminess or mutton smell.”

As temperatures continue to drop after the Winter Solstice, hotels and restaurants are rolling out all kinds of warming dishes to attract customers. Chef Xie Wen, with his exceptional culinary skills, has also created a brand-new winter menu from the perspectives of health and nourishment. was designed in response to Taiwanese people’s winter tradition of eating lamb to keep warm.

Chef Xie Wen’s is indeed incredibly delicious. When he was head chef at Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen, he served this dish in winter and not only received rave reviews from foodies, but also generated NT$2 million in sales in just one month for this single dish. Now that Chef Xie has moved to at Mandarin Oriental Taipei and reinterprets his signature dish with locally sourced Taiwanese lamb, it is expected to win over Taiwanese gourmets as well.

Chef Xie Wen’s involves a more complicated cooking process than making a . He first chars the skin of the skin-on Taiwanese lamb to remove the fine hairs. Then he heats a pan with oil, adds the dehaired lamb belly, ginger slices, garlic, dried tangerine peel, and curry leaves, stir-frying them together to eliminate any unwanted odors while also “drawing out” the lamb’s unique aroma.

Next, he adds a sauce made from a golden-ratio blend of sesame paste, fermented tofu sauce, Chu Hou sauce, and seafood sauce, along with winter bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms, stirring everything evenly. Then he transfers the mixture to a preheated clay pot, braising it for 45 minutes before turning off the heat and letting it sit for another 15 minutes. This allows the meat to become tender and the sauce flavors to gradually seep into the lamb. So, excluding the preliminary preparation of the lamb, the cooking process alone takes over an hour.

Served in a clay pot, fills the room with the aroma of lamb as soon as the lid is lifted. The boneless lamb belly strips, with their mix of fat and lean, skin and meat, and interwoven fat and tendons, are already tempting, but after braising, the skin becomes shiny and glossy. In the mouth, the tender and juicy lamb melts deliciously, while the skin is silky, bouncy, and incredibly tasty. Dipping it in Chef Xie’s specially prepared fermented tofu sauce adds even more richness.

The “two mushrooms” in refer to winter bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms, while “black grass lamb” is Taiwanese pasture-raised black sheep. Chef Xie also provides fresh sow thistle on the side — dipping the sow thistle leaves in the sauce from the clay pot offers a unique flavor.

“Eating lamb in winter” is a winter ritual for many. And why domestic lamb tastes better than imported lamb mainly comes down to the difference in breeds. Lin Junzhen, chairman of the Taiwan Sheep Association, explained that domestic lamb is goat meat, whereas around 70% of imported lamb is mutton. Domestic sheep are raised specifically for meat, while mutton sheep are bred primarily for wool — the difference in breeding purposes naturally leads to distinct textures and flavors. More importantly, domestic lamb is often freshly slaughtered, locally raised, locally butchered, and locally consumed, making it far tastier than frozen imported lamb.

Hong Kong chefs are known for their skill in making soups, often adjusting ingredients according to the solar terms for health benefits. Beyond , ’s winter menu also includes other health-nourishing dishes such as , , and , all made with carefully selected ingredients and intricate preparation processes.

is a classic Cantonese nourishing soup. Chef Xie uses a one-jin (600g) duck, pork, and Jinhua ham boiled in water, then steamed in a steamer for two hours before being filtered and cooled. Deer antler — which helps enrich blood and strengthen bones — along with soaked fish maw are then added and steamed for another 1.5 hours. The golden, aromatic broth may look light, but it’s packed with the essence of its ingredients, delivering a rich and captivating flavor. Chef Xie noted that the deer antler must only be added after the duck broth has cooled, to prevent its nutritional value from being destroyed by sudden high heat.

functions similarly to the popular Taiwanese chicken essence tonic in recent years. Chef Xie selects Taiwanese black-bone chickens, steaming them without any seasonings for a full 24 hours. After filtering out impurities, the soup is served in a transparent glass pot. The amber-colored broth resembles a consommé in French cuisine, with a rich, mellow flavor and a natural sweetness from the chicken. It comes with rose salt and Hawaiian black salt on the side, allowing diners to adjust the flavor “with salt highlighting the sweetness” — earning it the title of a “flawless soup.”

is a healthful sweet soup, its luxury lying in the use of snow frog — known as the “animal ginseng.” Chef Xie first soaks the snow frog overnight in 60°C warm water, then washes away the impurities after soaking. During cooking, lotus seeds, red dates, and longan are steamed with water for an hour, after which the snow frog is added and steamed for another 30 minutes. The result is a gently sweet and soothing dessert.

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