At the table
Let hot pieces cool slightly. Hold a bone to pull or cut off meat, or ask for help cutting it; try the meat before adding a dip.
Contains sheep meat. Watch for bones and hot fat; accompanying soy sauce or fermented tofu contains soy and may have other allergens.
The plain boiled meat has no chili heat. Aromatics and dips vary; a chili dip can make your serving hot, while ginger and Sichuan pepper give different sensations.
Tender meat cut small and removed from the bone can be easier for children to eat; keep chili dips separate and choose a portion they can chew comfortably.
Recipes vary. Ask the restaurant about ingredients and serving before you order.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
In Qinghai, salt may accompany the meat. Ningxia preparations can use Tan sheep and add garlic, with vinegar, soy sauce or coriander dips. An Inner Mongolian Ujumqin preparation boils the meat with ginger and salt and serves chive-flower sauce or fermented bean curd alongside. These accompaniments vary by preparation. Meat can be held by hand and cut from the bone.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Simply salted sheep meat.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Cut and tenderness vary; the dish is served in pieces to pull apart by hand.
- How it’s made
- Boil large pieces of sheep meat and serve hot. A Ningxia preparation seasons the pot with scallion, ginger, Sichuan pepper and star anise.
In Qinghai, salt may accompany the meat. Ningxia preparations can use Tan sheep and add garlic, with vinegar, soy sauce or coriander dips. An Inner Mongolian Ujumqin preparation boils the meat with ginger and salt and serves chive-flower sauce or fermented bean curd alongside. These accompaniments vary by preparation. Meat can be held by hand and cut from the bone.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Qinghai. Associated with Ningxia. Associated with Inner Mongolia.
About this regional connection
Ningxia: A shared dish also prepared in Ningxia. Inner Mongolia: In Xilingol, the hand-held boiled sheep dish is known as 手把肉.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有手抓羊肉吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Meat Held by the Bone
The name shouzhua describes eating the meat by hand. Large bone-in pieces are boiled, then held by the bone while the meat is pulled or cut away. This style is shared across several northern and northwestern communities. In Xilingol, shouba rou appears at everyday meals and when welcoming guests. Simple cooking highlights the sheep meat; salt, aromatics and dips vary between regions and households.