Hand-Grasped Mutton

Hand-grasped mutton is a classic centrepiece of the Dunhuang table, taking bone-in rib or leg, simmering it in plain water with scallion, ginger and Sichuan peppercorn, then serving it sliced or on the bone to be dipped in garlic paste, pepper salt or cumin, the meat tender and full of its own flavour.

Dunhuang sits astride the Hexi Corridor and has been home to many peoples since the Han and Tang; Hui, Dongxiang and other Muslim communities brought halal foodways, and hand-grasped mutton took root here, becoming one of the emblems of Silk Road cuisine.

Hot hand-grasped mutton is torn by hand while warm, dipped in garlic or pepper salt, often with a raw clove of garlic chewed alongside; the cold version is sliced and served as a cold dish, common at both banquets and family tables.

Its plain-water purity of flavour, the hearty bone-in hand-eaten style and the garlic-hot dipping sauce are what set Dunhuang's hand-grasped mutton apart from mutton dishes elsewhere.