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Hotpot for winter
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Dawn Li
WITH winter setting in, more and more families gather for hotpot (chafing-dish) banquets that warm their bodies up and cheer up spirits. Walking into Donglaishun Restaurant whose inscribed board was written by Qi Gong, a famous Manchu calligrapher, fragrance of mutton and rising steams from the hotpot would instantly raise your appetite.
Around 40 tables are pleasantly arranged in a spacious hall of over 1,000 sqm, with still some in independent cabinets that cater for small parties and gatherings for friends. At the centre of each brown wooden table, a red copper hotpot decorated with dragon and cloud patterns is licked by blue flames and sends out warmth.
The history of hotpot can be traced back to Nuerhachi, the first emperor of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). During the hardships of consecutive wars, a chef of his invented this quick cooking method. Muttons cut into slices and boiled in a hotpot became edible at once, then they were eaten with sesame paste and other condiments.
In 1903, a chef by the name of Ding Deshan opened the first Donglaishun Restaurant in the Dong'an Market of Beijing and soon became famous for his mutton hotpot. A delicacy for celebrities in the past, Donglaishun's mutton has become a popular dish for common people today.
Unlike the spicy hotpot of Sichuan flavour, this hotpot of Manchu origin has only ginger, green onion and little shrimps in the soup so that the fragrance of mutton will not be overwhelmed by the strong condiments. This puts a very strict demand on the mutton used.
According to Liu Sujun, deputy general manager of the restaurant, only a special black-headed and short-legged goat from the western Inner-Mongolian pasture that feeds on dry-land wild green onion is up to their standard. Before the goats are slaughtered for mutton, a traditional ceremony is held. Then, the mutton is processed within an hour and sent for refrigeration while still warm. Out of 30-35kg of mutton, only 20 per cent from the thighs are used for mutton slices.
For Cantonese, mutton in the past was chiefly used as a kind of Chinese medicine for mothers newly giving birth and patients in recovery. To keep that health-promoting effect, green vegetables are not recommended to go with mutton in Donglaishun. In stead, water chestnut and white gourd are cooked in the hotpot.
“To cater for the southern taste," Liu said, “Our SZ branch slightly modifies the traditional seasoning sauce." Fish sauce is added to the original 12 condiments including sesame paste, chive flowers and fermented bean curd. The amount of sesame paste is also reduced among all ingredients, for southern people dislike their food too oily.
Besides the featured mutton hotpot, the restaurant serves fried goat rib, roasted lamb as well as mutton pie and green onion pancake.
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