Mutton in stewed soup, 提汤羊肉, Ti Tang Yang Rou [Photo/js.ifeng.com]

Mutton in stewed soup is a renowned traditional Nantong dish. “Haimen mutton in stewed soup” has been a special dish famous around China before liberation in 1949. Restaurants in big cities in Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province and Shanghai all took “Haimen mutton in stewed soup” as their signature dish.

Mutton in stewed soup is made with elaboration by the white goat of Haimen and is one of the most well known dishes of Nantong. Many complete mutton chops (about half of a goat) are put into big soup pot (a big wooden cask is put above the pot, together known as called “connector”). The mutton soup is milky white and mellow; after mutton is thoroughly cooked, bones are removed. The compacted meat can be used both as cold dish (like cold-cut mutton or lamb cake), or served as semi-products for hot dishes (like braised mutton, twice-cooked mutton), or soup dish (mutton and bean vermicelli soup, clear mutton soup). If cooked into hot dish or soup dish, the ingredients should be original mutton soup without additionally adding clear water.