Lamb Noodle Soup
Warming lamb broth with noodles and tender lamb.
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Beijing Instant-Boiled Lamb
Hand-cut lamb, sliced half a millimetre thin, swished in a clear broth for eight to ten seconds and eaten with sesame, fermented bean curd and chive-flower sauce. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 涮羊肉, report 83.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 涮羊肉_83.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 2 hours 20 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 2 hours 30 minutesServings: 2–3Difficulty: MediumRegion: BeijingFlavour: Clean, nutty, fermented, warming
Why this works
The report's version of hotpot is unusual: the lamb is cooked by the kitchen, not the diner, in a strainer lowered into boiling broth for eight to ten seconds, then served already cooked in a bowl preheated to 60 °C. That precision is the dish — eight seconds gives tender, just-set meat, and anything longer turns hand-cut lamb tough, which is why the report pairs the timer with a temperature check of at least 75 °C. The cutting matters just as much: lamb leg held at −2 to −4 °C, not frozen solid, slices against the grain into 0.5 mm sheets that curl the instant they hit the broth. And the dip is a formula, not a suggestion — sesame, fermented bean curd and chive flower in a 3:1:0.5 ratio, the sesame thinned 1:1.5 with 40 °C water — because the clear broth itself is deliberately plain, and all the flavour arrives in the dip.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamb leg, hand-cut | 14 oz | 400 g | Cut against the grain into 0.5 mm slices, 5–8 cm long, 8–10 g each, after chilling at −2 to −4 °C for 2 hours. |
| Water, for broth | 100 tbsp | 1500 ml | — |
| Scallion segments | 1.8 oz | 50 g | For the broth. |
| Ginger slices | 0.4 oz | 10 g | For the broth. |
| Goji berries | 0.2 oz | 5 g | For the broth. |
| Sesame paste | 2.8 oz | 80 g | Thinned with warm water at 1:1.5. |
| Fermented bean curd liquid | 1.1 oz | 30 g | Bean curd mashed with its liquid. |
| Chive flowers | 0.7 oz | 20 g | Drained; also called Chinese chive flowers. |
| Chilli oil | 0.5 oz | 15 g | — |
| Scallion greens | 0.4 oz | 10 g | Minced. |
| Coriander, minced | 0.4 oz | 10 g | — |
| Pickled garlic | 2.1 oz | 60 g | About 4 cloves, peeled whole. |
| Sesame flatbreads | 2 pieces | 2 pieces | About 120 g total; reheated in the oven until slightly crisp. |
Equipment
- Copper pot or any pot for boiling broth — copper is traditional but not required (adaptation)
- Fine strainer or slotted spoon for swishing the lamb
- Timer
- Instant-read thermometer
- Bowl preheated to 60 °C for serving the lamb
Steps
- Chill and slice the lamb. Trim the lamb leg, chill at −2 to −4 °C for 2 hours until firm but not frozen solid, then slice by hand against the grain into 0.5 mm slices, 5–8 cm long, each about 8–10 g.
- Make the dip. Thin the sesame paste with 40 °C water at 1:1.5, stirring clockwise until smooth. Mash the fermented bean curd with its liquid and drain the chive flowers. Combine sesame, bean curd and chive flower in a 3:1:0.5 ratio, and set out with chilli oil, scallion and coriander for each diner to finish to taste.
- Prepare the rest. Peel the pickled garlic, leaving the cloves whole. Cut the scallion into slanted segments. Reheat the flatbreads in the oven until slightly crisp.
- Boil the broth. Bring 1500 ml water with scallion, ginger and goji berries to a full boil in the pot, and keep it boiling — the broth must stay at or above 95 °C.
- Swish the lamb. Put 3–4 slices (about 30 g) in a strainer, lower into the boiling broth, shake gently to separate, and cook for exactly 8–10 seconds, until the meat turns from red to white and the edges curl. Check the centre reaches at least 75 °C. Lift out, drain, and place in the preheated bowl. Repeat in small batches.
- Serve. Set the cooked lamb beside the pot with the dip, pickled garlic and flatbreads. In the report's method the lamb arrives already cooked; the pot stays as a hot broth accompaniment. Serve within 10 minutes, in an insulated container for takeaway.
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Technique: Technique: half a millimetre, eight seconds
Slicing temperature is the first control: at −2 to −4 °C the meat is firm enough to slice paper-thin; warmer and it tears, colder and it cannot be cut. The second control is the timer — eight to ten seconds in broth that never drops below a boil, with the broth replaced after an hour of continuous use. Thicker slices or cooler broth both break the timing, so check temperature, not just colour.
Variations
- Diners cook it themselves (adaptation): the familiar home hotpot way — keep the broth boiling at the table and let each person swish their own slices for 8–10 seconds. The report's kitchen-cooked version is a restaurant adaptation for takeaway.
- Frozen sliced lamb (adaptation): machine-sliced frozen lamb works, but it is thicker and cooks less evenly; swish a few seconds longer and check the temperature.
Frequently asked questions
Why hand-cut, not machine-sliced?
Hand-cut slices at 0.5 mm are thinner and more even than most frozen machine slices, and the report treats the knife work as the dish's signature.
Why is the broth so plain?
Deliberately: clear water with scallion, ginger and goji lets the lamb flavour and the fermented dip do the work, instead of a spiced broth masking them.
Can I use a different cut?
Leg is specified for its firm texture and moderate fat. Shoulder is softer and fattier; it still works but slices less cleanly (adaptation).
Storage
Best eaten immediately. Leftover cooked lamb keeps 1 day refrigerated; reheat until steaming hot throughout. Uncooked sliced lamb keeps 1 day refrigerated, well wrapped, and must be cooked to at least 75 °C.
Beijing Instant-Boiled Lamb — Recipe Card
Hand-cut lamb, sliced half a millimetre thin, swished in a clear broth for eight to ten seconds and eaten with sesame, fermented bean curd and chive-flower sauc
Prep: 2 hours 20 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 2 hours 30 minutesServings: 2–3
Ingredients: 400 g lamb leg, hand-cut; 1500 ml water; 50 g scallion; 10 g ginger; 5 g goji berries; 80 g sesame paste; 30 g fermented bean curd liquid; 20 g chive flowers; 15 g chilli oil; 10 g scallion greens; 10 g coriander; 60 g pickled garlic; 2 flatbreads.
Steps: 1) Chill lamb at −2 to −4 °C for 2 hours; slice 0.5 mm against the grain. 2) Thin sesame paste 1:1.5 with 40 °C water; combine dip 3:1:0.5. 3) Boil broth with scallion, ginger, goji. 4) Swish 3–4 slices per batch for 8–10 seconds to at least 75 °C; serve in a 60 °C bowl. 5) Serve with dip, pickled garlic and reheated flatbreads.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 涮羊肉 (data/reports/83.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. The report's ingredient cost table is arithmetically wrong — it prices a small quantity of pickled garlic at a sum far above its own stated unit price — so all cost figures are omitted. Original poster image: clouchef.com (涮羊肉_83.jpeg).