Lamb is one of the main meats favored by the public and is also a food for nourishment and cold resistance in the cold winter. Lamb is a great food for winter nourishment.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, lamb tonifies qi and nourishes yin, warms the middle and tonifies deficiency, stimulates the appetite and strengthens energy. Eating more lamb and drinking lamb bone soup at the right time can remove dampness and avoid cold. Modern nutrition also believes that lamb is rich in high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals. In fact, to truly enjoy the deliciousness, you need to choose good lamb. Different parts of the lamb have different cooking methods. Lamb hot pot, stewed lamb, and lamb meatballs all have their designated cuts.
Lamb head has little meat, the tail is fatty and tender, the neck meat has a lot of connective tissue, the shank and brisket contain more sinew, the rib meat is tender with a mix of fat and lean, the front leg meat is crispy and suitable for braising, and the back and loin are tender and fine-grained. Different cooking methods are used for different parts, and lamb should be purchased with a specific purpose.
When using cooking methods such as stir-frying, quick-frying, sautéing, deep-frying, and hot pot, because the heating time is short, the finished dish is fresh and tender. You should choose the back and hind leg meat for their tender and easy-to-cook characteristics. For example: scallion lamb, stir-fried tenderloin, lamb hot pot. When using methods such as braising, stewing, soy-sauce braising, and braising in soy sauce, because the heating time is long, the dish is required to be mellow and soft. You can choose shank, ribs, brisket, lamb head, and lamb tail. For example: soy-braised lamb, clear stewed lamb, plain boiled lamb head. The neck, due to its high connective tissue content, is not easy to shape, making it suitable for making fillings and meatballs. For example: braised meatballs, radish and meatball soup. There are also taboos when eating lamb.
Often eating lamb can easily lead to "heatiness," so it should be paired with vegetables like radish and winter melon. Those with fever, toothache, mouth sores, or cough should eat less. In addition, lamb should not be scorched or burnt, otherwise it will not only be tough but also produce carcinogens. When eating lamb hot pot, you should not blindly pursue tenderness; you must wait for the meat to change color completely before eating. Otherwise, it may lead to diarrhea.