Sichuan-inspired spicy mutton stew. Spiciness glory

It seems that I’ve been on a spicy wagon in the past few days – Korean, awesome Thai food with fabulous blog friends, and not to mention this fantastic mutton stew.

This is the first time I chanced upon mutton at the local butcher. Mutton, meat from mature sheep, is a fantastic cheap cut for stewing and braising. The slow cooking process helps to break down the tough and chewy muscle, yielding such soft and meaty awesomeness. Braising the meat is also a good way for the meat to absorb as much flavor from other seasoning as possible – In this case, a blend of Sichuan peppers, cinnamon, black cardamom, star anise.

I am a big fan of Sichuan cooking, and this is such a perfect way to cook mutton. Some Asians don’t like the smell of lamb, and cooking it with lots of spices sort of helps to mask it. No, actually I think the smokiness of the spices enhances the mutton in a good way – the result is a smoky, meaty and perfectly tender meat.

You will notice a traditional Chinese cooking technique in this recipe. The meat is boiled briefly first then rinsed under water to remove impurities. It’s a reliable technique to get a somewhat clearer sauce or broth at the end.

Oh, and don’t skip the daikon.It helps to tone down the spiciness and add some lovely vegie goodness. Potatoes might be good, too.

Sichuan-inspired spicy mutton stew

Like all stews, this dish tastes better the next day.

Ingredients (for at least 8-10 serves)

2kg mutton leg meat, cut into stewing pieces {can substitute with beef or lamb stewing meat}
5 garlics cloves, slices
thumb-sized ginger, sliced thickly
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
10 dried chili

Spices: 1 cinammon, 1 black cardamom, 1.5 tablespoons sichuan pepper, 1 star anise

Seasoning: 4 tablespoons chili bean sauce (toban djan), 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, one teaspoon or two sugar (to taste)

Others: 1 daikon, skinned and cut into pieces and some oil

Method

First off, put all the spices in one muslin bag and tie up.

Put mutton pieces and just enough water to cover the dish. Bring to the boil, reduce the fire for about 5 minutes. Turn off the gas, take the meat out and skim the foam in the broth.

Bring the broth to simmer again while frying the meat with spices.

In a separate frying pan, heat up some oil. Add in the dried chili, ginger, garlic and onion and fry until fragrant. Stir occasionally.

Next up, put the meat into the frying pan together with all the seasonings. If the mixture is a bit too dry, add in some hot broth. Simmer until the meat is well coated with the seasoning.

Now, add the meat mixture to the hot broth together with the spice bag. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat so the stew barely simmers. Place a piece of baking paper on top (to make sure the meat emegeres totally in the broth).

Let the stew simmer slowly until the meat is completely tender (mine took about 2 hours, but of course it depends the type of meat you use).

In the last 15 minutes, put in the daikon pieces. Cook until the daikon is soft and cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve hot with lots of rice and greens. I highly recommend a creamy dessert at the end!