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Mutton like No Other

When one considers the sometimes tumultuous history of Beijing, the idea that any kind of business, especially a restaurant, could operate more or less continuously for more than 200 years is pretty amazing, but the Yueshengzhai Islamic Restaurant has done just that.

The fragrance and good taste of this Zhongguo Laozihao’s (China Time Honoured Brand’s) braised mutton with soy sauce is the key to its success; it is also responsible for much of the good fortune that has come Yueshengzhai’s way. With the kind of customers it sometimes served, it could hardly have survived had it been anything less than what it is today: excellent.

Yueshengzhai’s story begins in 1775 in the person of Ma Qingrui, a temporary servant at the Qing imperial court. As was the practice at the time, after sacrificial rites were performed, the food used in those rites would be taken home by some favoured members of the imperial staff. Ma took his mutton to a local market, and using his own techniques he found success in selling his braised mutton and beef in soy sauce.

Seizing the opportunity, Ma, an ethnic Hui, resigned his post to specialize in buying and selling sacrificial mutton, and he opened his Yueshengzhai Islamic Restaurant in an area among official offices on Hubu Jie (just east of Tian’anmen Square). With his special skills in making braised mutton and beef with soy sauce, skills that have been passed down through the generations, word about Ma’s delicacies circulated among Beijing’s officialdom.

It wasn’t long until a very special customer beckoned, the Empress Dowager Ci Xi (1835–1908) of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), who liked Ma’s mutton so much that she issued four youpai (badges worn at the waist that allowed entry into some areas of the Forbidden City) to Yueshengzhai’s staff so they could conveniently serve her. One of the badges is still kept by Ma Guoyao, a sixth-generation member of Ma Qingrui’s family.

As time went on, and with the help of his two sons, Ma Yongxiang and Ma Yongfu, and some imperial doctors, Ma Qingrui continued to improve his braised mutton with soy sauce, adding herbal condiments such as the clove, villous amomum fruit (similar to ginger), nutmeg, cinnamon, always ensuring that the meat was tasty and tender. The concoction was said to be good for harmonizing the spleen and stomach and resolving food stagnancy. The meats used were chosen cautiously and braised fastidiously.

Memories of the good fragrance of Yueshengzhai’s braised mutton in soy sauce are even preserved in some of Beijing's nursery rhymes. One tale relates that children bored with the taste of steamed buns (mantou) would eat downwind of the restaurant so they could experience the fragrance of the mutton while eating; the smell of the simmering mutton made their poor streamed bread taste much better.

The legendary smells of Yueshengzhai's foods arise from its delicate and strict processing, involving more than 20 steps. When its water is boiling with the soy sauce, carefully sorted mutton pieces are put into the caldron layer by layer according to their age and tenderness. In Chinese cooking, control of the cooking fire is always a key to good results; this is especially true with Yueshengzhai’s braised mutton with soy sauce. The fire should be strong at first to dispense with the strong smell of mutton. Afterward, the fire should be lowered to a simmer to allow the fragrance of the condiments to come into play. The mutton should be cooked for at least six hours.

When ready, the mutton is removed and drained before being placed into a reserved soup (laotang) and soy sauce. Laotang, used as a soup stock, is truly a mysterious supplement to the flavour of many traditional Chinese foods, especially for this time-honoured food. The previous day’s reserved soup is a secret of success, because it yields a thick flavour.

When you walk into the cultural exhibition hall of Beijing Yueshengzhai Islamic Food Company Limited in Fengtai District, an old porcelain vat dating to the Qing Dynasty that was used for keeping laotang is still preserved, although it was damaged in a war.

The long preparation time for Yueshengzhai’s braised mutton with soy sauce reduces its overall volume of production.

Qian Anming, chairman of the board of the Beijing Yueshengzhai Islamic Food Company, Limited, said, “Generally, the output is only a half of the fresh mutton, but that is the key of the success of Yueshengzhai’s braised mutton; we have kept this secret for hundreds of years.”

The six generations since Ma Qingrui have worked hard to strictly follow the restaurant’s traditions. In ancient times, the amount of braised mutton with soy sauce available for sale was limited to only about 70–80 jin (35–40 kilograms) per day. The price has always been higher than similar foods in other restaurants, but the meals’ quality has never been compromised. This has been recognized: in 2007, Yueshengzhai’s processing techniques for braised mutton with soy sauce were cited as part of Beijing’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Throughout the centuries, Yueshengzhai has developed to become a modern Muslim food company, and today it produces more than 100 kinds of Muslim food. The traditional and well-known Chinese firm has been around for a long time, and it intends to serve its customers for a long time to come.