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Gangshan's Famous Ming Der Lamb Hot Pot

◎English translation : Peng Hsin-yi
◎Photos by Lin Yu-en

　Ming Der's signature lamb hot pot is a thing of beauty in the eyes of gourmands; plump, succulent chunks of lamb simmering in a pot of steamy thick brown soup, surrounded by a generous amount of leafy vegetables, tofu, blood pudding, fresh corn and tomatoes. The seductive smell of lamb is further enhanced by spices in the soup, calling for all to the feast upon this wonderful culinary creation.
　Ming Der's lamb is meaty and juicy, full of the earthy flavor of the lamb but without the overpowering goaty smell that sometimes comes with lamb dishes. The chef makes the lamb-bone soup everyday from scratch, and the cooking process is never entirely the same; she makes adjustments, taking into consideration the condition of the ingredients. Of course, experience is very important in this job. Ms. Liu Jin-zhong, Ming Der's owner-manager, says the soup is the soul of a lamb hot pot, and that the recipe she uses is a time-tested formula. It comes in two variations: original and herbal. The original soup is milky in appearance and notably mild, rich and smooth. It focuses on the flavor of the lamb itself; it warms you up from the inside as you sip it, leaving a naturally sweet aftertaste. The herbal soup uses the same soup base, to which more than a dozen Chinese herbs are added. These herbs complement the flavor of the lamb, and accentuate the natural aroma of the meat. Both soups are especially popular in mid-winter. They are available for take-out, as some customers like to use them to cook other dishes at home.
　Ms. Liu says the lamb hot pot was invented by her father, and that when she first started to entertain the idea of opening a restaurant, she wanted to do something different and offer a unique menu. Her father checked out all the nearby restaurants, and discovered that while many cooked lamb dishes, none of them served lamb hot pot. He suggested Ms. Liu give it a try, so that her restaurant could offer diners something to warm them up during the winter months. A legendary culinary invention was thus born. The restaurant in fact serves hot pot all year round, the dining room being air-conditioned so customers can enjoy the food in comfort even in summer. Ms. Liu, a licensed chef, proudly says that Ming Der was the first restaurant to serve lamb hot pot in Gangshan District. Sometimes she asks regular customers to help her test new recipes, and they are always happy to oblige. Over the years she has developed a very creative menu that contains inventions such as braised shank of lamb, and lamb stir-fried with sour pickled mastered green. These dishes are all very popular.
　Nowadays, if you visit Gangshan District, you can find restaurants serving lamb hot pot on almost every street. However, Ming Der remains popular, even after 30 years. Ms. Liu is confident that no one else can mimic the way Ming Der prepares its lamb; the precise ratio of solid ingredients to water is her most treasured secret. As winter approaches, now is the perfect time to sample lamb hot pot. Let the soup, as well as the love infused in it by the chef, warm you from the bottom of your heart.

岡山明德羊肉

◎文／張嘉玲　◎攝影／林育恩

　白煙迷濛雙眼，褐色湯汁在爐上冒泡沸騰，一塊塊飽滿的羊肉浮沉在熱呼呼的湯汁裡，鍋裡佈滿青菜、豆腐、米血、玉米、番茄等豐富的配菜，用料大方，這便是岡山明德羊肉的招牌羊肉爐，鮮美的羊肉散發誘人香氣，令人食指大動。
　店家特別選用不具腥味的羊肉，嚐起來鮮嫩有嚼勁，香氣四溢。羊肉爐特製湯底則以羊大骨熬製，分成原汁與藥膳兩種湯底，每日烹調的時間長短不一，完全是靠老闆多年的料理經驗掌握火候。明德老闆劉金鐘表示，羊肉爐的湯汁正是精華所在，她特別調製出的湯底歷經時間考驗，原汁湯頭味道醇厚，一口湯汁暖暖下肚後，從喉頭湧出一股甘甜味；藥膳湯頭以十幾種中藥材調製，融入濃郁的羊肉香氣，是嚴冬裡最回味無窮的滋味。劉金鐘說，許多人很喜歡明德的湯底，甚至會特地買湯底回家自行搭配其他菜色烹煮。
　明德廣受歡迎的羊肉爐，是劉金鐘父親想出的點子，創店初時，她想要端出與當地餐廳不一樣的料理，她的父親調查當地飲食市場後，發現羊肉料理雖然相當多，卻獨獨沒有羊肉爐，於是建議開發這道新菜色，讓顧客在寒冷的冬日裡，喝鍋味鮮料美的羊肉爐，夏日則提供冷氣，打造舒適用餐環境。劉金鐘表示，明德便如此成為了岡山區首創羊肉爐的店家。除了羊肉爐外，原本廚藝精湛，具有乙級廚師執照的劉金鐘也挖空心思開發新菜色，有時還會請熟客幫忙試口味。店裡菜色多樣，她表示，滷羊腱、酸菜羊肉等羊肉料理，都是熟客相當喜愛的菜色。
　岡山地區販售羊肉爐的店家林立，老字號的明德羊肉在激烈競爭下已走過近三十個年頭，劉金鐘表示，明德羊肉爐的烹煮方式是別人學不來的，用以調製湯頭的食材與水的比例呈現，是她不外傳的獨門心法。凜冬將至，一鍋熱騰騰上桌的特製羊肉爐，傳遞的溫暖，點滴在心頭。