Mao Qiang: inheritor of Laomao Shouzhua Mutton

我叫毛强，回族，

I’m Mao Qiang, a member of the Hui ethnic group.

我是宁夏回族自治区省级非物质文化遗产项目老毛手抓羊肉传承人。

I’m an inheritor of Laomao Shouzhua Mutton, a provincial-level project of intangible cultural heritage of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

今年73岁了。

I’m 73 years old now.

据老人传说，我们回族人喜欢吃手抓羊肉，

According to the elders, Hui people have been fond of Shouzhua mutton.

它的历史追溯已经300多年了。

It has a history of more than 300 years.

随着时代的发展，现在手抓羊肉已经成为

As time goes by, Shouzhua mutton gradually becomes a necessary item

我们回族宴席、嫁娶等等，一些重要的节点上都在食用手抓羊肉。

on important occasions like banquets and wedding ceremonies.

老毛手抓羊肉这道菜要经过很多的关口。

There’re many requirements for cooking the dish.

首先，就是在选羊上要特别有讲究，

Firstly, you should be particular about the sheep,

要求这个羊不能大、不能小。

which can be neither too large nor too small in size.

第二方面，还要会煮，

Secondly, you should be able to cook well,

要求它的水温、火候，煮的时间长短等等。

and should pay close attention to the water temperature, the heating intensity, and the cooking time.

第三个就是要用我们祖传的刀功刀法去切熟肉。

Thirdly, you should slice the cooked mutton with our traditional skills.

老毛手抓羊肉在煮的过程中是不放任何调料的，完全是用清水煮。

When we cook Laomao Shouzhua Mutton, we cook it in boiling water and add no seasoning.

这样煮出来的肉有什么好处呢？

What’s good about this cooking method?

它就是使客人食用到，尝到是真正的羊肉的味道。

It enables the guests to savor the authentic taste of mutton.

这就是我们回族世世代代流传到今天的非常珍贵的一些地方特色美食。

This is a valuable delicacy passed down by Hui people for generations.

这些年来，我先后接待国内外的宾客过百万人次了，

In these years, I’ve served over a million customers from home and abroad.

他们就是专程到宁夏来，要尝地方的民族特色。

They came all the way to Ningxia to try the local delicacies.

我们在全区各市县开了很多家分店，

We’ve opened several branches in many cities and counties in our region.

以后我们还要逐步地联系，要走出宁夏，向外地去发展，

We plan to gradually expand our business from Ningxia to other places,

进一步把我们老毛手抓成为一个宣传宁夏、介绍宁夏、认识宁夏的一个重要窗口。

so as to make Laomao Shouzhua Mutton an important platform for the outside world to know about Ningxia.

作为我这个年龄的人来说，虽然已经是暮年了，但是我是一直还认为我自己是个追梦人。

I’ve reached a very old age now, but I still consider myself a dream-seeker.

[ Editor: SRQ ]