[Sca-cooks] Cooks Pot Luck - Bal-po Soup

[Jones, Craig]

> Reply: it is a not nice wooly sheep from Mongolia.
> They are small, wool is
> no good. I use "lamb" to reflect their small size and,
> also, because
> Mongolian sheep (mostly the males, females are kept
> for milk) tend to get
> eaten young. Not lamb in the QFC or Safeway sense, but
> not randy old mutton
> either.

In Australia, year old sheep meat is called Hoggett.  It's halfway
between lamb and mutton in flavour and is savoured by those who like a
lambier taste but don't have the patience of slow cooking that mutton
deserves.

I've tried several of the recipes in ASFTQ (including Mastaji, which is
very nice and Eggplant Manta which was supurb) but never Bal-po.  I
think I have a project for the weekend.

> Actually, I almost always use goat for this
> and similar recipes when
> it I can get good goat meat for just the reason
> indicated. Recently
> co-author Anderson used Australian lamb for a Bal-po
> soup and it was not
> anywhere as good as the goat versions of the past.

That'll be because the mildest, youngest Aussie lamb is shipped
overseas.  The domestic meat can be much stronger in flavour.  The price
of mutton here will drop dramatically soon as we are in the grip of a
drought and farmers are starting to shoot their stock.  Some of the
stock is fetching less at the saleyards than the transport costs alone
thus a bullet is cheaper.  Sad really.

> Yes, use goat. You do
> need a meat with some flavor (like real Mongolian
> lamb).

Goat meat here is slightly sweeter than lamb and no more flavoured than
Hoggett.  As I can get Hoggett, I'll use that.  Can you ask Paul Buell
if my approach is valid?

 I bet Icelandic
> lamb would work too, but try getting some of that
> (especially the smoked
> variety, which is absolutely and totally outstanding;

I've never tried the Icelandic, but a local butchery makes a very nice
smoked leg of lamb.  Great for camping...

Drakey.