🍽️ Yi Mutton Pot

Whole-mutton Yi-style pot with chili.

Yi Mutton Pot is a traditional hotpot of the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture in central Yunnan. Local black mountain goats are chopped on the bone and clear-simmered until the broth turns white and the meat falls tender, seasoned only with pepper and salt so the natural freshness of the mutton dominates. It arrives in a large pot, with a dip usually of burnt chili powder and scallion. In winter, Yi households gather around the mutton pot: first a bowl of hot broth to warm up, then swishing mutton and mountain seasonal greens. Chuxiong's Yi region is high, and its goats range wild in the hills, so the meat is firm with little gamey smell. The dish is hearty and generous, a centerpiece at Yi festivals and guest feasts in Chuxiong, and a substantial mountain flavor for visitors to the Yi countryside of central Yunnan.