Mutton soup is popular throughout China, but the south Chinese here infuse it with herbs like wolfberries, cordyceps, bellflower roots to raise flagging energy levels and ginger is introduced to contain the gaminess. The Hainanese have a version infused with red fermented tofu and it lends a rich savoury umami flavour. Ribs and meat cuts are often used and offals like stomach, are usually included.
Mutton Soup (Chinese Style)
Chai Chuan Tou Yang Rou Tang
115 Bukit Merah View #01-51, Bukit Merah View Mkt & Food Ctr (Map) 11am – 1.30pm Mon & Sun
There’s always a queue here till the last bowl but service is fast. The gaminess of the soup here is tamed. The meat comes very soft and the mutton “pong” is evident into the soup but is contained by the very light touch of herbs and pepper. The mixed or ‘chum chum” meat and offals version is best enjoyed by dunking each morsel into their tangy and spicy chilli sauce. It lends such a wonderful counter balance to this lightly gamey broth. This is a very good starting point for beginners of Chinese style mutton soup.
Ivy’s Hainanese Herbal Mutton Soup 121 Pasir Panjang Rd #01-14, Pasir Panjang Food Ctr (Map) 11.30am – 8.30pm Sun
They get top billing here because of some very simple reasons. They use the best cuts of ribs, meat and shanks. Plus, they keep it real, and in the Hainanese style, something that’s getting lost in online translation (there are many types of chinese muttons soups). They use the expensive Nam Yu; red fermented yam cubes (cheaper ones use tofu version), with a smidgen of wistful herbs and aromatic blue ginger. The resultant claypot (they only use them) light mutton stew or soup comes reddish brown and lovingly perfumed with the nam yu . It just buries the pong from the meat (if you know what I mean). They don’t come cheap as mutton is more expensive than beef in these parts. The basic claypot starts from S$11 (at press time). Max Ng and his wife Ivy have been at it since the 90s and the lady boss makes it her personal daily agenda to blend and cook the distinctly sharp and tangy chilli sauce, which pairs so nicely with their Hainanese Mutton Soup.
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