Fermented Red Bean Curd Lamb Clay Pot (砂煲南乳羊肉, Saa1 Bou1 Naam4 Jyu5 Joeng4 Juk6)

This clay pot recipe uses lamb with fermented red bean curd and bean curd sticks. The combination is a classic Chinese dish and now that I have a clay pot, cooking the dish is just a matter of assembling the ingredients. I bought a clay pot recently and used it to make this dish. Clay pots need to be prepared before using for the first time to prevent cracking. I used this website for advice: Clay Pot Use and Maintenance Tips at Chinese Soup Pot.

Lamb stew meat was available at my local market, which usually is lamb shoulder or leg meat already cut into pieces. Purchasing already cut lamb meat saves a step in the preparation of this dish. The lamb is placed into the clay pot after being marinated, although if you’re in a hurry, marinating the meat can be skipped. Since the lamb meat is in contact with the clay pot during cooking, the meat gets an added flavorful crust that cannot be obtained by using a slow cooker. Another method to make this dish is to put cut cabbage or lettuce on the bottom of the clay pot before adding all the other ingredients. You will typically see this preparation when at restaurants. The clay pot is used as the serving dish and keeps the contents hot.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 lb.	1 kg.	Lamb stew meat (羊肉, joeng4  juk6), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
¾ lb.	375 g.	Green string beans (青豆角, ceng1 dau6 gok3), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 lb.	500 g.	Daikon (白蘿蔔, baak6 lo4 baak6), quartered and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
1 lb.	500 g.	Carrots (紅蘿蔔, hung4 lo4 baak6), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
10	10	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated
2	2	Dried bean curd sticks (腐竹, fu6 zuk1), rehydrated and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press

 

Sauce Ingredients

4-6 cakes	4-6 cakes	Chan Moon Kee Brand Fermented Red Bean Curd (南乳, naam4 jyu5) or equivalent
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
4 qt.	3.8 L.	Covered bowl
3.7 qt.	3.5 L.	Clay pot

 

Chan Moon Kee Brand
Fermented Red Bean Curd
(南乳, naam4 jyu5)

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare the lamb stew meat by removing any bones and excess fat. Cut the lamb into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces if not purchased already cut. Wet with water and add baking soda to the lamb, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the lamb in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the lamb overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Pour boiling water over the dried Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid, and remove the stems. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
4. Pour boiling water over the dried bean curd sticks in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the bean curd for at least one hour. Remove the bean curd from the rehydration liquid, discard the liquid, and cut bean curd into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces.
5. Prepare and mix the sauce in the clay pot: add the Chan Moon Kee Brand Fermented Red Bean Curd or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In a small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together, before adding and mixing the slurry with the sauce in the clay pot.
6. Place the entire contents of the covered container (lamb and marinade) and mix together with the sauce in the clay pot.
7. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and place into the clay pot.
8. Put the Shiitake mushrooms and bean curd into the clay pot.
9. Wash and cut the carrots into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Place the carrots into the clay pot.
10. Wash and cut the daikon into quarters. Cut ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces from each daikon quarter and place into the clay pot.
11. Wash and cut the green string beans into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces and place into the clay pot.
12. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.

Cooking Instructions

1. Cover the clay pot, turn the heat to low and heat the clay pot for 5 minutes. The clay pot has to have something in it before heating to prevent cracking. After five minutes, turn the heat to medium- to medium-high. Once the contents of the clay pot come to a boil (a larger amount of steam will be coming from the clay pot), reduce the heat to low- to medium-low, and simmer for 45 minutes.
2. At the end of cooking, turn off the heat, remove the cover, add the green onions and mix the ingredients together. Use the clay pot to serve the dish together with steamed rice.